Is Cefadroxil safe while breastfeeding?
Here is what NIH LactMed, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's authority on medicines and breastfeeding, reports about Cefadroxil. This is a summary of that source — not our own verdict.
Effects on the breastfed infant
Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.
Effects on milk supply
Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.
Levels in milk
Maternal Levels. After a single 500 mg oral dose of cefadroxil in 5 women, peak milk levels ranged from 0.6 to 0.9 mg/L. Peak levels occurred from 5 to 6 hours after the dose with an average of 0.65 mg/L at 5 hours and 0.68 mg/L at 6 hours after the dose.[ 1 ] After a single 1 gram oral dose of cefadroxil in 6 women who were 2 days postpartum, peak levels occurred 6 to 7 hours after the dose and averaged 1.83 mg/L (range 1.2 to 2.4 mg/L).[ 2 ] After a single 500 mg oral dose of cefadroxil in 2 or 3 women, peak milk levels of 0.4 mg/L occurred 4 hours after the dose.[ 3 ] In all of the above studies, cefadroxil was undetectable in most women's milk for the first hour after the dose. Infant Levels. Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.
Alternatives LactMed lists
“No published information” means the studies do not exist yet — not that Cefadroxil is known to be harmful, and not that it is known to be safe. Your prescriber or pharmacist can weigh your baby's age and whether a better-studied alternative would do the same job. Worth asking before stopping a medicine you need.
Source: NIH LactMed (National Library of Medicine).
Educational summary of an authoritative source — not medical advice. Never start, stop, or change a medicine while breastfeeding without confirming with your doctor.