Can I take aripiprazole while pregnant or breastfeeding?
A plain-words look at what the NHS, the US drug label and LactMed say about aripiprazole.
In short
Pregnancy: There is no good evidence that your baby will be affected if you take aripiprazole in early pregnancy.
Breastfeeding: You can take aripiprazole while breastfeeding if your doctor or health visitor tells you your baby is healthy.
Your doctor, midwife or pharmacist can help you decide.
What this means for you
Pregnancy
- If you take it in the weeks leading up to the birth, your newborn may sometimes have withdrawal symptoms, although these are short-lived.
- Your baby will be checked after birth and given extra care if they need it.
- Treating a mental health condition well matters, because these conditions can affect your wellbeing and your baby's.
- Symptoms sometimes get worse during pregnancy or after the birth, which is why good treatment is important.
- If you become pregnant, talk to your doctor.
- They will help you choose the best treatment for both you and your baby.
Breastfeeding
- Carrying on with aripiprazole is important to keep you well, and breastfeeding also benefits both of you.
- Information about aripiprazole and breastfeeding is limited, but it shows that small amounts get into breast milk.
- It is not known to have caused side effects in breastfed babies.
- However, it may lower the amount of milk you make.
- Your doctor will tell you whether another medicine might suit you better.
- As soon as you can, get in touch with your health visitor, midwife, pharmacist or doctor if your baby is feeding less well than normal, seems unusually sleepy, seems irritable, is making sudden or jerky movements, or if anything else about your baby worries you.
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
Aripiprazole in pregnancy
The NHS says
There is no good evidence that your baby will be affected if you take aripiprazole in early pregnancy.
If you take it in the weeks leading up to the birth, your newborn may sometimes have withdrawal symptoms, although these are short-lived. Your baby will be checked after birth and given extra care if they need it.
Treating a mental health condition well matters, because these conditions can affect your wellbeing and your baby's. Symptoms sometimes get worse during pregnancy or after the birth, which is why good treatment is important.
If you become pregnant, talk to your doctor. They will help you choose the best treatment for both you and your baby.
In our words, from the NHS page Aripiprazole (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 C: Pregnancy Exposure Registry There is a pregnancy exposure registry that monitors pregnancy outcomes in women exposed to aripiprazole during pregnancy. For more information contact the National Pregnancy Registry for Atypical Antipsychotics at 1-866-961-2388 or visit http://womensmentalhealth.org/clinical-and-research-programs/pregnancyregistry/ . Risk Summary Neonates exposed to antipsychotic drugs (including aripiprazole) during the third trimester of pregnancy are at risk for extrapyramidal and/or withdrawal symptoms. Adequate and well controlled studies with aripiprazole have not been conducted in pregnant women. Animal reproduction studies were conducted with aripiprazole in rats and rabbits during organogenesis, and in rats during the pre-and post-natal period. Oral and intravenous aripiprazole administration during organogenesis in rats and/or rabbits at doses higher than the maximum recommended human dose (MRHD) produced fetal death, decreased fetal weight, undescended testicles, delayed skeletal ossification, skeletal abnormalities, and diaphragmatic hernia.
Prescribing label, section “8.1 Pregnancy” (opening excerpt): Aripiprazole (oral), Alembic Pharmaceuticals Limited. Read the full section on DailyMed. Quoted verbatim; US labels are written for US prescribers and patients.
Aripiprazole while breastfeeding
The NHS says
You can take aripiprazole while breastfeeding if your doctor or health visitor tells you your baby is healthy.
Carrying on with aripiprazole is important to keep you well, and breastfeeding also benefits both of you.
Information about aripiprazole and breastfeeding is limited, but it shows that small amounts get into breast milk. It is not known to have caused side effects in breastfed babies. However, it may lower the amount of milk you make.
Your doctor will tell you whether another medicine might suit you better.
As soon as you can, get in touch with your health visitor, midwife, pharmacist or doctor if your baby is feeding less well than normal, seems unusually sleepy, seems irritable, is making sudden or jerky movements, or if anything else about your baby worries you.
In our words, from the NHS page Aripiprazole (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 maternal doses of aripiprazole up to 15 mg daily produce low levels in milk. Aripiprazole can lower serum prolactin in a dose-related manner, and cases of poor milk supply and lactation cessation have been reported. Weight loss and poor weight gain have been reported in breastfed infants whose mothers were taking aripiprazole. Monitor the breastfed infant for dehydration and lack of appropriate weight gain. Cases of gynecomastia and galactorrhea have also been reported. Until more data become available, an alternate drug may be preferred, especially while nursing a newborn or preterm infant.[1]
“Summary of Use during Lactation”, LactMed record “Aripiprazole” (LM17), quoted verbatim. Everything LactMed reports about Aripiprazole while breastfeeding.
The US prescribing label says
Nursing Mothers Aripiprazole is present in human breast milk. Because of the potential for serious adverse reactions in nursing infants from aripiprazole, a decision should be made whether to discontinue nursing or to discontinue the drug, taking into account the importance of the drug to the mother.
Prescribing label, section “Nursing Mothers”: Aripiprazole (oral), Alembic Pharmaceuticals Limited. Label on DailyMed. Quoted verbatim; US labels are written for US prescribers and patients.
Other names
UK brand names (per the NHS): Abilify.
Sources
- NHS, Aripiprazole (nhs.uk), page last reviewed 6 April 2023. Paraphrased. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- US drug label: Aripiprazole (oral), Alembic Pharmaceuticals Limited, human prescription drug, label effective 27 January 2023, set ID 4f1691a8-724e-430d-9bab-27b59ef9bd4e. 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 “Aripiprazole” (LM17), 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.