Can I take amoxicillin while pregnant or breastfeeding?
A plain-words look at what the NHS, the US drug label and LactMed say about amoxicillin.
In short
Pregnancy: Amoxicillin is safe to take while you're pregnant. Check with a doctor or pharmacist before you take it.
Breastfeeding: You can take amoxicillin while breastfeeding, because only tiny amounts reach breast milk.
Your doctor, midwife or pharmacist can help you decide.
What this means for you
Pregnancy
- Amoxicillin is safe to take while you're pregnant.
- Check with a doctor or pharmacist before you take it.
Breastfeeding
- Very rarely, a small number of babies have had mild side effects, for example a rash, drowsiness or diarrhoea.
- Treating an infection while you're breastfeeding matters, because an infection could make you ill.
- 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.
- Until you've had advice about your baby's symptoms, keep taking amoxicillin and carry on breastfeeding as normal.
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; is being sick or has diarrhoea; has oral thrush (a fungal infection in the mouth) or a skin rash; or seems sleepier than normal.
- 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
Amoxicillin in pregnancy
The NHS says
Amoxicillin is safe to take while you're pregnant. Check with a doctor or pharmacist before you take it.
In our words, from the NHS page Amoxicillin (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 Teratogenic Effects : Pregnancy Category B. Reproduction studies have been performed in mice and rats at doses up to 2000 mg/kg (3 and 6 times the 3 g human dose, based on body surface area). There was no evidence of harm to the fetus due to amoxicillin. There are, however, no adequate and well‑controlled studies in pregnant women. Because animal reproduction studies are not always predictive of human response, amoxicillin should be used during pregnancy only if clearly needed.
Prescribing label, section “8.1 Pregnancy”: AMOXICILLIN (oral), REMEDYREPACK INC. Label on DailyMed. Quoted verbatim; US labels are written for US prescribers and patients.
Amoxicillin while breastfeeding
The NHS says
You can take amoxicillin while breastfeeding, because only tiny amounts reach breast milk. Very rarely, a small number of babies have had mild side effects, for example a rash, drowsiness or diarrhoea.
Treating an infection while you're breastfeeding matters, because an infection could make you ill.
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; is being sick or has diarrhoea; has oral thrush (a fungal infection in the mouth) or a skin rash; or seems sleepier than normal.
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.
Until you've had advice about your baby's symptoms, keep taking amoxicillin and carry on breastfeeding as normal.
In our words, from the NHS page Amoxicillin (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
Amoxicillin produces low levels in milk that are not expected to cause adverse effects in breastfed infants. Occasionally, rash and disruption of the infant's gastrointestinal flora, resulting in diarrhea or thrush, have been reported, but these effects have not been adequately evaluated. Amoxicillin is acceptable in nursing mothers. Amoxicillin powder for suspension reconstituted with breastmilk is absorbed as well as the powder reconstituted with water.[1]
“Summary of Use during Lactation”, LactMed record “Amoxicillin” (LM13), quoted verbatim. Everything LactMed reports about Amoxicillin while breastfeeding.
The US prescribing label says
Nursing Mothers Penicillins have been shown to be excreted in human milk. Amoxicillin use by nursing mothers may lead to sensitization of infants. Caution should be exercised when amoxicillin is administered to a nursing woman.
Prescribing label, section “Nursing Mothers”: AMOXICILLIN (oral), REMEDYREPACK INC. Label on DailyMed. Quoted verbatim; US labels are written for US prescribers and patients.
Other names
Indian brands (per NPPA): Mox, Novamox.
Indian combination brands that include amoxicillin: Augmentin, Clavam.
Sources
- NHS, Amoxicillin (nhs.uk), page last reviewed 2 June 2025. Paraphrased. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- US drug label: AMOXICILLIN (oral), REMEDYREPACK INC., human prescription drug, label effective 9 September 2026, set ID 4adc198e-39d8-4b3e-bfa4-278aaf4064ae. 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 “Amoxicillin” (LM13), 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.