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View Full Version : Anyone know if Differin is safe while nursing (or has used it)?



lisams
02-27-2004, 11:48 PM
I have been having some problems with break-outs now that my periods are back and regular. My dermatologist prescribed Differin, but I completely forgot to mention I was nursing. Has anyone used this or know if it is safe to use while nursing? Are there any other products that are safe to use while nursing that help combat pimples. I'll have to call back on Mon, but in the meantime I was wondering if anyone knows much about it.

Thanks!
Lisa

COElizabeth
02-28-2004, 12:01 AM
I don't know the answer to your question, but I did find the following reference to a couple of acne meds on Dr. Thomas Hale's website:

http://neonatal.ama.ttuhsc.edu/discus/messages/59/709.html?1063373914

According to our hospital's lactation program and others I trust, Dr. Hale is a leading expert on medications' compatibility with nursing. You might ask your OB or ped or lactation consultant to look up Differin in his book called Medications and Mothers' Milk. The book gives lots of information that can help you and your doctor decide whether to use a particular med. For example, it tells the half-life of a drug, which is the time it takes for half the dose to leave your system. For drugs with short half-lives, it is sometimes possible to mimize the effects on a nursing infant by taking the medicine right after the last feeding of the day so that most of the medication is out of your system by the time you nurse again. That's just one factor, though. He also talks about whether the drug is likely to pass into milk at all, etc. I'm not sure if Differin is covered, but it definitely worth checking. The American Academy of Pediatrics also has a list of drugs considered compatible with breastfeeding, but Dr. Hale's book is more comprehensive and may help you if the AAP list doesn't mention your drug. Good luck!

Elizabeth, Mom to James, 9-20-02

shindagrl
02-28-2004, 04:33 AM
This is what I found in the drug notes:

"Pregnancy

Teratogenic Effects

Pregnancy Category C:. No teratogenic effects were seen in rats at oral doses of adapalene 0.15 to 5.0 mg/kg/day, up to 120 times the maximal daily human topical dose. Cutaneous route teratology studies conducted in rats and rabbits at doses of 0.6, 2.0, and 6.0 mg/kg/day, up to 150 times the maximal daily human topical dose exhibited no fetotoxicity and only minimal increases in supernumerary ribs in rats. There are no adequate and well-controlled studies in pregnant women. Adapalene should be used during pregnancy only if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk to the fetus.

Nursing Mothers

It is not known whether this drug is excreted in human milk. Because many drugs are excreted in human milk, caution should be exercised when DIFFERIN Gel is administered to a nursing woman."


I just found this on a UK web site:

"Differin topical gel should be used with caution by nursing mothers and only in areas away from the chest.
Differin topical gel should not be used by women who are pregnant or who plan to become pregnant during treatment because of the risk of adverse effects on foetal development. There have been isolated reports of birth defects in babies born to women using adapalene and other topical drugs with a similar mechanism of action during their pregnancy.
The safety and efficacy of Differin gel has not been studied in relation to children under the age of 12 years."



Differin is a FABULOUS medication for zits, but it's still pretty new, so the results aren't really in yet. I miss it immensely, since I gave it up when I got pregnant.

I guess it would depend on how severe your acne is, whether or not you wanted to risk it. HTH.

Shinda

Rachels
02-28-2004, 09:44 AM
Hale apparently approves Differin. Elizabeth is right-- he's the authority to trust. Here's a blurb about it from the kellymom site, which maintains an active list of medications that are approved for use while breastfeeding:

"Topical use of Retin-A (tretinoin) is generally considered compatible with breastfeeding. Per Thomas Hale, PhD (Medications and Mothers' Milk), "absorption of tretinoin [Retin-A] via topical sources is reported to be minimal, and breastmilk concentrations would likely be minimal to none. However, if it is used orally, transfer into milk is likely and should be used with great caution in a breastfeeding mother." This med is classified in Lactation Risk Category L3 (moderately safe).

Per Hale, Differin Gel (Adapalene 0.1%) is similar to Retin-A (retinoic acid or tretinoin). "Adapalene is virtually unabsorbed when applied topically to the skin. Plasma levels are almost undetectable, so milk levels would be infinitesimally low and probably undetectable."



-Rachel
Mom to Abigail Rose
5/18/02

sugarsnappea
02-28-2004, 09:55 AM
I used Differin while nursing JG. My dermatologist and OB gave it the ok. I used it just on top of specific blemishes. After nursing, it stopped working well for me, so I switched to Retin-A. Now I am nursing again and breaking out again :( . I just started using .02% Retin-A on specific blemishes. Derm suggested using just 3x a week and OB agreed. I read the studies that Rachel listed on kellymom to assure myself it wasn't harmful. I hope your complexion clears up ASAP!! :)