Can I take budesonide inhalers while pregnant or breastfeeding?
A plain-words look at what the NHS, the US drug label and LactMed say about budesonide inhalers.
In short
Pregnancy: You can use budesonide inhalers safely while you're pregnant.
Breastfeeding: You can use a budesonide inhaler while breastfeeding.
Your doctor, midwife or pharmacist can help you decide.
What this means for you
Pregnancy
- Because you breathe the medicine into your lungs, only a very small amount enters your bloodstream and almost none reaches your baby.
- Even if a little does reach your baby, it will not harm them.
- Keep using your budesonide inhaler during pregnancy so that your asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) stays well controlled.
- Difficulty breathing may be dangerous for both you and your baby.
- You may find you need more budesonide while pregnant.
- That's fine: raising the dose when you need to is safe.
Breastfeeding
- There's limited information about budesonide inhalers and breastfeeding, but only tiny amounts get into breast milk.
- Your baby cannot absorb much budesonide from the milk, so it's unlikely to cause side effects in them.
- If your baby is not feeding as well as they usually do, or you're worried about your baby in any other way, contact your health visitor, midwife or doctor promptly.
When to get help
- If you're finding it hard to keep your asthma or COPD under control, contact your doctor or specialist.
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
Budesonide inhalers in pregnancy
The NHS says
You can use budesonide inhalers safely while you're pregnant.
Because you breathe the medicine into your lungs, only a very small amount enters your bloodstream and almost none reaches your baby. Even if a little does reach your baby, it will not harm them.
Keep using your budesonide inhaler during pregnancy so that your asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) stays well controlled. Difficulty breathing may be dangerous for both you and your baby.
You may find you need more budesonide while pregnant. That's fine: raising the dose when you need to is safe.
If you're finding it hard to keep your asthma or COPD under control, contact your doctor or specialist.
In our words, from the NHS page Budesonide inhalers (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
If pregnant or breast-feeding , ask a health professional before use.
Drug Facts label: Budesonide (nasal), Rugby Laboratories. Label on DailyMed. Quoted verbatim; US labels are written for US prescribers and patients.
This quote is from the nasal formulation label.
8.1 Pregnancy Risk Summary There are no adequate well-controlled studies of budesonide inhalation suspension in pregnant women. However, there are published studies on the use of budesonide, the active ingredient in budesonide inhalation suspension, in pregnant women. In animal reproduction studies, budesonide, administered by the subcutaneous route, caused structural abnormalities, was embryocidal, and reduced fetal weights in rats and rabbits at less than the maximum recommended human daily inhalation dose (MRHDID), but these effects were not seen in rats that received inhaled doses approximately 2 times the MRHDID ( see Data ). Studies of pregnant women have not shown that inhaled budesonide increases the risk of abnormalities when administered during pregnancy. Experience with oral corticosteroids suggests that rodents are more prone to structural abnormalities from corticosteroid exposure than humans. The estimated background risk of major birth defects and miscarriage of the indicated populations is unknown.
Prescribing label, section “8.1 Pregnancy” (opening excerpt): Budesonide Inhalation Suspension (oral), Cipla USA Inc. Read the full section on DailyMed. Quoted verbatim; US labels are written for US prescribers and patients.
Budesonide inhalers while breastfeeding
The NHS says
You can use a budesonide inhaler while breastfeeding.
There's limited information about budesonide inhalers and breastfeeding, but only tiny amounts get into breast milk. Your baby cannot absorb much budesonide from the milk, so it's unlikely to cause side effects in them.
If your baby is not feeding as well as they usually do, or you're worried about your baby in any other way, contact your health visitor, midwife or doctor promptly.
In our words, from the NHS page Budesonide inhalers (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
The amounts of inhaled budesonide excreted into breastmilk are minute and infant exposure is negligible. When taken by mouth, budesonide is only about 9% bioavailable; bioavailability in the infant is likely to be similarly low for any budesonide that enters the breastmilk. Expert opinion considers inhaled, nasal, oral and rectal corticosteroids acceptable to use during breastfeeding.[1-3]
“Summary of Use during Lactation”, LactMed record “Budesonide” (LM35), quoted verbatim. Everything LactMed reports about Budesonide while breastfeeding.
The US prescribing label says
8.2 Lactation Risk Summary There are no available data on the effects of budesonide inhalation suspension on the breastfed child or on milk production. Budesonide, like other inhaled corticosteroids, is present in human milk [see Data]. The developmental and health benefits of breastfeeding should be considered along with the mother's clinical need for budesonide inhalation suspension and any potential adverse effects on the breastfed infant from budesonide inhalation suspension or from the underlying maternal condition. Data Human data with budesonide delivered via dry powder inhaler indicates that the total daily oral dose of budesonide available in breast milk to the infant is approximately 0.3% to 1% of the dose inhaled by the mother [see Clinical Pharmacology (12.3)] .
Prescribing label, section “8.2 Lactation”: Budesonide Inhalation Suspension (oral), Cipla USA Inc. Label on DailyMed. Quoted verbatim; US labels are written for US prescribers and patients.
Other names
UK brand names (per the NHS): Pulmicort, Budelin.
Indian brands (per NPPA): Budecort.
US name: budesonide.
Sources
- NHS, Budesonide inhalers (nhs.uk), page last reviewed 16 August 2023. Paraphrased. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- US drug label: Budesonide (nasal), Rugby Laboratories, human otc drug, label effective 27 February 2026, set ID 04eb9e98-1323-353f-3fd7-2d317dfac526. DailyMed (National Library of Medicine). Public domain; quoted verbatim.
- US drug label: Budesonide Inhalation Suspension (oral), Cipla USA Inc., human prescription drug, label effective 10 June 2026, set ID c52c5382-1400-44b9-95be-a30e1cf706da. 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 “Budesonide” (LM35), 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.