Originally posted by agate
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And for anyone reading this thread who wants to know about the safety of breastfeeding while taking Avonex, there IS a point to the difference in the statements between the prescribing information and the medication guide. The prescribing information is the "official" labeling information for the drug. That's why it's the document that's included in the box along with the drug. The fact that it doesn't say anything about the patient not breastfeeding has some significance. The company is free to take that position in their medication guide, but the fact that they wouldn't commit to the same stance in the prescribing information has a different legal significance. It also means that they recognize that the pharmaceutical company can't supersede a physician's recommendation. And some physicians are approving breastfeeding for the reasons I covered in my earlier post.
It's great to caution someone about things that could get them into trouble (heaven knows I do it all the time! ). But that caution about breastfeeding opened the door to a deeper examination of the subject. Certainly anyone reading this thread is entitled to know more than just one side of the argument.
And looking at the alternative viewpoint also acknowledges that the OP said she'd done her research, in that it details what that research might have revealed that motivated her to choose the course of action she chose. Plus it also indirectly supports one reason why there's a difference between what the Avonex prescribing information says versus what the medication guide says. Anyone who's trying to make a truly informed decision can benefit from knowing that. I think that approach counterbalances the temptation of a lot of folks who try to explain and understand the issues of MS by oversimplifying them.
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