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Breast-feeding and medications: What's safe?

Content Do all medications pass into breast milk? Does my baby's health and age influence how he or she might be affected by exposure to medication in my breast milk? Should I stop breast-feeding while taking medication? What medications are safe to take while breast-feeding? Do I need my health care provider's OK ahead of time? What if my baby has a reaction?

What medications are safe to take while breast-feeding?

With your health care provider's input, consider this list of medications found to be safe during breast-feeding. Keep in mind that this isn't a comprehensive list of safe medications.

Pain relievers

  • Acetaminophen (Tylenol, others)
  • Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others)
  • Naproxen (Naprosyn) — short-term use only

Antimicrobial medications

  • Fluconazole (Diflucan)
  • Miconazole (Monistat 3) — apply minimal amount
  • Clotrimazole (Mycelex, Lotrimin) — apply minimal amount
  • Penicillins, such as amoxicillin and ampicillin
  • Cephalosporins, such as cephalexin (Keflex)

Antihistamines

  • Loratadine (Claritin, Alavert, others)
  • Fexofenadine (Allegra Allergy)

Decongestants

  • Medications containing pseudoephedrine (Sudafed, Zyrtec D, others) — use with caution because pseudoephedrine can decrease milk supply

Birth control pills

  • Progestin-only contraceptives, such as the minipill

Recent research suggests that birth control methods that use both estrogen and progestin — such as combined birth control pills — don't affect milk production. For otherwise healthy women, it's OK to begin using combined birth control pills and other types of combined hormonal birth control one month after childbirth.

Gastrointestinal medications

  • Famotidine (Pepcid)
  • Cimetidine (Tagamet HB)

Antidepressants

  • Paroxetine (Paxil)
  • Sertraline (Zoloft)
  • Fluvoxamine (Luvox)

Constipation medications

  • Docusate sodium (Colace, Diocto)

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