Can I take amlodipine while pregnant or breastfeeding?
A plain-words look at what the NHS, the US drug label and LactMed say about amlodipine.
In short
Pregnancy: Let your doctor know if you're pregnant, or if you become pregnant while you're on amlodipine.
Breastfeeding: Let your doctor know if you're breastfeeding. Amlodipine is not usually used while you're breastfeeding.
Your doctor, midwife or pharmacist can help you decide.
What this means for you
Pregnancy
- Amlodipine is not usually recommended in pregnancy, because there are similar medicines that are safer.
- However, amlodipine may be used if those other medicines have not worked and your condition needs treating during pregnancy.
- Your doctor will talk you through what the benefits and risks are of using it while you're expecting.
Breastfeeding
- Let your doctor know if you're breastfeeding.
- Amlodipine is not usually used while you're breastfeeding.
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
Amlodipine in pregnancy
The NHS says
Let your doctor know if you're pregnant, or if you become pregnant while you're on amlodipine.
Amlodipine is not usually recommended in pregnancy, because there are similar medicines that are safer.
However, amlodipine may be used if those other medicines have not worked and your condition needs treating during pregnancy. Your doctor will talk you through what the benefits and risks are of using it while you're expecting.
In our words, from the NHS page Amlodipine (nhs.uk). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (OGL v3.0). The NHS does not endorse this site.
The US drug label says
8.1 Pregnancy Risk Summary The limited available data based on post-marketing reports with amlodipine use in pregnant women are not sufficient to inform a drug-associated risk for major birth defects and miscarriage.
Prescribing label, section “8.1 Pregnancy” (opening excerpt): Amlodipine Besylate (oral), NCS HealthCare of KY, LLC dba Vangard Labs. Read the full section on DailyMed. Quoted verbatim; US labels are written for US prescribers and patients.
More on amlodipine in pregnancy: Bumps (Best Use of Medicines in Pregnancy) leaflet (external site).
Amlodipine while breastfeeding
The NHS says
Let your doctor know if you're breastfeeding. Amlodipine is not usually used while you're breastfeeding.
In our words, from the NHS page Amlodipine (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
Limited information indicates that milk levels of amlodipine are usually low and plasma levels in breastfed infants are undetectable. Maternal use of amlodipine during breastfeeding has not caused any adverse effects in breastfed infants. If the mother requires amlodipine, it is not a reason to discontinue breastfeeding.
“Summary of Use during Lactation”, LactMed record “Amlodipine” (LM11), quoted verbatim. Everything LactMed reports about Amlodipine while breastfeeding.
The US prescribing label says
8.2 Lactation Risk Summary Limited available data from a published clinical lactation study reports that amlodipine is present in human milk at an estimated median relative infant dose of 4.2%. No adverse effects of amlodipine on the breastfed infant have been observed. There is no available information on the effects of amlodipine on milk production.
Prescribing label, section “8.2 Lactation”: Amlodipine Besylate (oral), NCS HealthCare of KY, LLC dba Vangard Labs. Label on DailyMed. Quoted verbatim; US labels are written for US prescribers and patients.
Other names
Sources
- NHS, Amlodipine (nhs.uk), page last reviewed 9 June 2026. Paraphrased. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- US drug label: Amlodipine Besylate (oral), NCS HealthCare of KY, LLC dba Vangard Labs, human prescription drug, label effective 1 September 2026, set ID 6efc0ef6-0424-44fc-a9ea-eb30c3b83239. DailyMed (National Library of Medicine). Public domain; quoted verbatim.
- Drugs and Lactation Database (LactMed), National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), via NCBI Bookshelf, record “Amlodipine” (LM11), 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.
- Bumps (Best Use of Medicines in Pregnancy), UK Teratology Information Service: Bumps (Best Use of Medicines in Pregnancy) leaflet. Linked, not reproduced.
Sources checked 26 September 2026. How we source and check every page.
Educational summary of named sources, not medical advice.