Is Finasteride Safe in Breastfeeding
Question
I am a breastfeeding mother and i want to know if it is safe to use Finasteride? Is Finasteride safe for nursing mother and child? Does Finasteride extracts into breast milk? Does Finasteride has any long term or short term side effects on infants? Can Finasteride influence milk supply or can Finasteride decrease milk supply in lactating mothers?
Finasteride lactation summary
- DrLact safety Score for Finasteride is 3 out of 8 which is considered Low Risk as per our analyses.
- A safety Score of 3 indicates that usage of Finasteride may cause some minor side effects in breastfed baby.
- Our study of different scientific research indicates that Finasteride may cause moderate to no side effects in lactating mother.
- Most of scientific studies and research papers declaring usage of Finasteride low risk in breastfeeding are based on normal dosage and may not hold true for higher dosage.
- While using Finasteride We suggest monitoring child for possible reactions. It is also important to understand that side effects vary largely based on age of breastfed child and time of medication in addition to dosage.
- Score calculated using the DrLact safety Version 1.2 model, this score ranges from 0 to 8 and measures overall safety of drug in lactation. Scores are primarily calculated using publicly available case studies, research papers, other scientific journals and publically available data.
Answer by Dr. Ru: About Finasteride usage in lactation
Inhibitor of 5-α reductase enzyme that induces the pass of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone which has a greater androgenic effect.Indicated for treatment of benign prostatic hypertrophy.Not authorized for use in women although it is used for treatment of hirsutism with same or greater efficacy than Spironolactone or Flutamide (Moghetti 2000), androgenetic alopecia (Shum 2002) and Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (Lakryc 2003) . At latest update no published data on excretion into breast milk were found.Its high plasma protein-binding capacity makes it unlikely the excretion of significant amounts into breastmilk. Not alterations on prolactin level have been reported. A known and safer alternative should be preferred until more published data on this drug related to breastfeeding is available within the first 6 mo after birth, especially during the neonatal period and in case of prematurity.Exposure through breastmilk may be minimized by waiting at least 6 hours before resuming breastfeed after the last dose of drug.
Alternate Drugs for Other Dermatological preparations. ATC D11
Pimecrolimus(Low Risk)
Aluminium Acetate(Safe)
Intralesional Bleomycin(Unsafe)
Diphencyprone(Safe)
Dihydroxyacetone(Low Risk)
Ellagic Acid(Safe)
Kojic Acid(Low Risk)
Minoxidil Topical Use(Safe)
Tacrolimus (topical use)(Safe)