Can I take acrivastine while pregnant or breastfeeding?
A plain-words look at what the NHS, the US drug label and LactMed say about acrivastine.
In short
Pregnancy: Acrivastine is not usually recommended in pregnancy, as very little information exists about its use in pregnancy.
Breastfeeding: Acrivastine can be taken while breastfeeding, as long as your baby is healthy. It's better to take it only now and then, or for a short time. Other medicines might be better, so check with your doctor or pharmacist first.
Your doctor, midwife or pharmacist can help you decide.
What this means for you
Pregnancy
- Other antihistamines that more is known about may be more suitable.
- If you feel you need acrivastine while pregnant, speak to your doctor or pharmacist.
- They can help you decide, or may suggest other medicines.
Breastfeeding
- Acrivastine can be taken while breastfeeding, as long as your baby is healthy.
- It's better to take it only now and then, or for a short time.
- Other medicines might be better, so check with your doctor or pharmacist first.
- While you're taking acrivastine, it's important that you do not sleep in the same bed as your baby.
- How much acrivastine reaches breast milk is not known, but the levels are likely to be low.
- It's unlikely to cause side effects in your baby.
- Acrivastine capsules bought from a pharmacy may also contain pseudoephedrine, which is generally not recommended during breastfeeding.
- Side effects in breastfed babies from medicines their mother takes are very rare.
- Even so, it's important to keep an eye on your baby while you take any medicine and breastfeed.
- Carry on breastfeeding as normal until you've had advice about your baby's symptoms.
When to get help
- Contact a healthcare professional or call 111 (in the UK) as soon as you can if your baby is not feeding as well as they usually do, seems unusually sleepy, or seems irritable.
- If your baby has any other symptoms, or you're worried about them, you can still call 111 or get in touch with any healthcare professional.
Talk to your doctor or pharmacist
This page is educational, not advice for your own situation. Talk to your doctor, midwife or pharmacist before you start, stop or change any medicine in pregnancy or while breastfeeding.
The details: what each source says
Acrivastine in pregnancy
The NHS says
Acrivastine is not usually recommended in pregnancy, as very little information exists about its use in pregnancy. Other antihistamines that more is known about may be more suitable.
If you feel you need acrivastine while pregnant, speak to your doctor or pharmacist. They can help you decide, or may suggest other medicines.
In our words, from the NHS page Acrivastine (nhs.uk). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (OGL v3.0). The NHS does not endorse this site.
Acrivastine while breastfeeding
The NHS says
Acrivastine can be taken while breastfeeding, as long as your baby is healthy. It's better to take it only now and then, or for a short time. Other medicines might be better, so check with your doctor or pharmacist first.
While you're taking acrivastine, it's important that you do not sleep in the same bed as your baby.
How much acrivastine reaches breast milk is not known, but the levels are likely to be low. It's unlikely to cause side effects in your baby.
Acrivastine capsules bought from a pharmacy may also contain pseudoephedrine, which is generally not recommended during breastfeeding.
Side effects in breastfed babies from medicines their mother takes are very rare. Even so, it's important to keep an eye on your baby while you take any medicine and breastfeed.
Contact a healthcare professional or call 111 (in the UK) as soon as you can if your baby is not feeding as well as they usually do, seems unusually sleepy, or seems irritable.
If your baby has any other symptoms, or you're worried about them, you can still call 111 or get in touch with any healthcare professional.
Carry on breastfeeding as normal until you've had advice about your baby's symptoms.
In our words, from the NHS page Acrivastine (nhs.uk). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (OGL v3.0). The NHS does not endorse this site.
LactMed says
Acrivastine is no longer marketed in the United States. Small occasional doses of acrivastine would not be expected to cause any adverse effects in breastfed infants. Larger doses or more prolonged use may cause drowsiness and other effects in the infant or decrease the milk supply, particularly in combination with a sympathomimetic such as pseudoephedrine or before lactation is well established. The nonsedating antihistamines are preferred alternatives.
“Summary of Use during Lactation”, LactMed record “Acrivastine” (LM4), quoted verbatim. Everything LactMed reports about Acrivastine while breastfeeding.
Other names
UK brand names (per the NHS): Benadryl Allergy Relief.
Sources
- NHS, Acrivastine (nhs.uk), page last reviewed 2 April 2025. Paraphrased. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Drugs and Lactation Database (LactMed), National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), via NCBI Bookshelf, record “Acrivastine” (LM4), bulk release of 22 September 2026. LactMed on NCBI Bookshelf. Public domain; quoted verbatim. LactMed is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Sources checked 26 September 2026. How we source and check every page.
Educational summary of named sources, not medical advice.