Prescription medicines in pregnancy and breastfeeding

Aczone (Dapsone Gel) During Pregnancy

Aczone, a topical dapsone gel used for acne, has very low systemic absorption, about 1 percent of an oral dapsone dose.

Is Adderall safe while breastfeeding?

Adderall (dextroamphetamine-amphetamine) passes into breast milk in measurable amounts, and manufacturer labeling advises against use while nursing.

Advair During Pregnancy: Is It Safe?

Advair, a combination inhaler with the corticosteroid fluticasone and the long-acting bronchodilator salmeterol.

Is amoxicillin safe while breastfeeding?

Amoxicillin is considered compatible with breastfeeding because only a small amount reaches milk.

Is Bactrim Safe During Pregnancy?

Bactrim (sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim) is a combination antibiotic that ACOG considers first-line for urinary tract infections in the second.

Betamethasone Shots During Pregnancy: Why They Are Given

Betamethasone injections during pregnancy are antenatal corticosteroids offered when birth may occur early enough for a newborn breathing benefit.

Can you take birth control pills while breastfeeding?

Birth control pills are generally compatible with breastfeeding, but the hormone type matters: estrogen-containing combination pills can reduce milk.

Is Celexa (Citalopram) Safe During Pregnancy?

Celexa (citalopram) is a commonly prescribed SSRI antidepressant and one of the better-studied antidepressants used in pregnancy.

Is Cymbalta (Duloxetine) Safe During Pregnancy?

Cymbalta (duloxetine) hasn't been linked to a higher chance of birth defects in large studies.

Does Sertraline (Zoloft) Affect Fertility?

Sertraline (Zoloft) hasn't been shown to definitively lower fertility: research is mixed, with one study linking SSRI use to a slightly lower chance of.

Is domperidone safe to increase milk supply?

Domperidone is a prescription medication used in some countries to boost milk supply, but it is not FDA-approved for any use in the United States.

Doxycycline for Acne During Pregnancy

Doxycycline is a tetracycline-class antibiotic sometimes prescribed for acne, but tetracyclines are generally avoided during pregnancy.

Dupixent During Pregnancy: Is It Safe?

Dupixent (dupilumab) is a prescription biologic injectable prescribed for asthma and eczema, and pregnancy safety evidence for it is still limited.

Epilepsy medication before trying to conceive

Epilepsy medication should be reviewed with your neurologist before trying to conceive, not stopped on your own.

Is finasteride and male fertility safe during pregnancy?

Finasteride, taken for hair loss or an enlarged prostate, has been linked to lower sperm counts in some men.

How long to stop tretinoin before trying to conceive?

Tretinoin, the prescription retinoid in Retin-A, clears most people's bodies within about a day.

Is Klonopin (Clonazepam) Safe During Pregnancy?

Klonopin (clonazepam) is a prescription benzodiazepine used for anxiety and seizure disorders.

Labetalol During Pregnancy: Safety for Blood Pressure

Labetalol is one of the most commonly used blood pressure medications in pregnancy, and available research doesn't suggest it raises the risk of birth.

Levothyroxine dose before trying to conceive

Levothyroxine dose needs typically rise once you conceive, so providers recommend getting your TSH to 2.5 mIU/L or below before you start trying.

Is levothyroxine dose increase safe during pregnancy?

A levothyroxine dose increase during pregnancy happens because rising estrogen raises thyroid-binding globulin.

Is Lexapro safe while breastfeeding?

Lexapro (escitalopram) passes into breast milk in small amounts, and a panel of experts names it among the safest SSRI options for breastfeeding.

Lisinopril During Pregnancy: Why It's Not Recommended

Lisinopril, an ACE inhibitor for high blood pressure, should be avoided in the second and third trimesters because it can cause serious kidney.

Is lisinopril safe before trying to conceive?

Lisinopril, an ACE inhibitor used for blood pressure, is not considered safe to continue once pregnancy is further along.

Losartan During Pregnancy: Risks and What to Know

Losartan is a blood pressure medication that isn't recommended during pregnancy, especially in the second.

Is Macrobid safe while breastfeeding?

Macrobid (nitrofurantoin) is a commonly prescribed UTI antibiotic that passes into breast milk in only small amounts.

Metformin Before Trying to Conceive: What to Know

Metformin can improve ovulation and pregnancy chances in women with PCOS trying to conceive.

Methyldopa During Pregnancy: Safety and Evidence

Methyldopa is a blood pressure medication with decades of pregnancy use behind it and no evidence linking it to birth defects.

Nifedipine During Pregnancy: Safety and Uses

Nifedipine is a calcium channel blocker used during pregnancy to manage high blood pressure and, in a different regimen, to briefly delay preterm labor.

Is nitrous oxide for labor safe during pregnancy?

Nitrous oxide for labor is a fast-on, fast-off inhaled analgesic that the laboring patient controls through a mask.

Ozempic (Semaglutide) and Pregnancy: What to Know

Ozempic (semaglutide) isn't recommended during pregnancy or while trying to conceive, and current guidance calls for stopping it at least 5 half-lives.

Is Paxil (Paroxetine) Safe During Pregnancy?

Paroxetine, sold under the brand name Paxil, is a prescription SSRI antidepressant with a more cautionary pregnancy evidence base than most other SSRIs.

Is Penicillin Safe During Pregnancy?

Penicillin has one of the longest-used, most reassuring antibiotic safety records in pregnancy.

Pulmicort During Pregnancy: Is It Safe?

Pulmicort is an inhaled steroid, budesonide, used to control asthma, and among inhaled corticosteroids it generally has the strongest pregnancy safety.

Are statins safe before trying to conceive?

Statins were once routinely stopped for anyone planning a pregnancy, but the FDA removed that blanket warning in 2021 after decades of data found no.

Stopping Antidepressants Cold Turkey While Pregnant

Stopping antidepressants abruptly during pregnancy raises the risk of both withdrawal symptoms.

Tazorac During Pregnancy: Is It Safe?

Tazorac (tazarotene) is a topical retinoid that carries the strictest pregnancy warning of its drug class, Category X.

Does Testosterone Therapy Cause Male Infertility?

Testosterone therapy can lower or stop a male partner's sperm production, since added testosterone signals the brain to dial back the hormones that drive.

Took Adderall Before You Knew You Were Pregnant?

Adderall taken at a normal prescribed dose before you knew you were pregnant hasn't been linked to a higher chance of birth defects in the studies.

Took Antibiotics Before You Knew You Were Pregnant?

Antibiotics taken before you knew you were pregnant are usually less worrying than they feel: many commonly prescribed types.

Is Topamax (Topiramate) Safe During Pregnancy?

Topamax (topiramate) taken during the first trimester has been linked to a higher chance of oral clefts in the baby.

Vaginal progesterone during pregnancy: short cervix

Vaginal progesterone may lower early-birth risk in an asymptomatic singleton pregnancy when transvaginal ultrasound shows a short cervix before 24 weeks.

Is Wellbutrin safe while breastfeeding?

Wellbutrin (bupropion) passes into breast milk in small amounts and most nursing infants show no side effects.

Is Xanax Safe While Breastfeeding?

Xanax (alprazolam) passes into breast milk and, with repeated use, has been linked to infant irritability.

Is Zofran (ondansetron) safe while breastfeeding?

Zofran (ondansetron) is commonly used for nausea right around delivery or a C-section, and pharmacokinetic studies suggest only a small amount reaches.

Is Zoloft (sertraline) safe while breastfeeding?

Zoloft (sertraline) is generally considered one of the preferred antidepressants during breastfeeding, since only small amounts pass into breast milk.