Can I take clonazepam while pregnant or breastfeeding?
A plain-words look at what the NHS, the US drug label and LactMed say about clonazepam.
In short
Pregnancy: You can take clonazepam in pregnancy, especially if you need it to keep your epilepsy under control.
Breastfeeding: If your doctor, health visitor or midwife tells you your baby is healthy, you can usually take clonazepam while breastfeeding.
Your doctor, midwife or pharmacist can help you decide.
What this means for you
Pregnancy
- If you take clonazepam and you're pregnant or planning to be, talk to your doctor.
- They will help you weigh up the risks and benefits and make sure it is the right treatment for you.
- Clonazepam taken late in pregnancy might affect your baby by making them drowsier and sleepier.
- Your baby will be monitored for these effects after birth.
Breastfeeding
- Information about clonazepam and breastfeeding is limited, but it's thought to reach breast milk in very small amounts.
- Breastfed babies do not usually get side effects from it.
- Side effects in your baby are more likely if you take clonazepam for a long time, at high doses, or alongside other medicines, although they are still rare.
- Clonazepam can make a baby drowsy or tired, which can make feeding difficult for them.
- As soon as you can, get in touch with your health visitor, midwife, doctor or pharmacist if anything worries you, or if your baby is feeding less well than normal, seems unusually sleepy, or has unusual breathing.
- It's important that you do not share a bed with your baby while taking clonazepam.
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
Clonazepam in pregnancy
The NHS says
You can take clonazepam in pregnancy, especially if you need it to keep your epilepsy under control.
If you take clonazepam and you're pregnant or planning to be, talk to your doctor. They will help you weigh up the risks and benefits and make sure it is the right treatment for you.
Clonazepam taken late in pregnancy might affect your baby by making them drowsier and sleepier. Your baby will be monitored for these effects after birth.
In our words, from the NHS page Clonazepam (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
Pregnancy: Pregnancy Exposure Registry There is a pregnancy exposure registry that monitors pregnancy outcomes in women exposed to AEDs, such as clonazepam tablets, during pregnancy. Healthcare providers are encouraged to recommend that pregnant women taking clonazepam tablets enroll in the NAAED Pregnancy Registry by calling 1-888-233-2334 or online at http://www.aedpregnancyregistry.org/ .
Prescribing label, section “Pregnancy” (opening excerpt): Clonazepam (oral), REMEDYREPACK INC. Read the full section on DailyMed. Quoted verbatim; US labels are written for US prescribers and patients.
Clonazepam while breastfeeding
The NHS says
If your doctor, health visitor or midwife tells you your baby is healthy, you can usually take clonazepam while breastfeeding.
Information about clonazepam and breastfeeding is limited, but it's thought to reach breast milk in very small amounts. Breastfed babies do not usually get side effects from it.
Side effects in your baby are more likely if you take clonazepam for a long time, at high doses, or alongside other medicines, although they are still rare. Clonazepam can make a baby drowsy or tired, which can make feeding difficult for them.
As soon as you can, get in touch with your health visitor, midwife, doctor or pharmacist if anything worries you, or if your baby is feeding less well than normal, seems unusually sleepy, or has unusual breathing.
It's important that you do not share a bed with your baby while taking clonazepam.
In our words, from the NHS page Clonazepam (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
Maternal clonazepam occasionally causes sedation in their breastfed infants, especially when given with other central nervous system depressants. A safety scoring system finds clonazepam possible to use cautiously during breastfeeding,[1] and an expert consensus guideline indicates that low-dose clonazepam is an acceptable choice for refractory restless leg syndrome during lactation.[2] Monitor the infant for drowsiness, adequate weight gain, and developmental milestones, especially in younger, exclusively breastfed infants and when using combinations of psychotropic drugs. Monitoring of the infant's serum concentration may be indicated if excessive sedation occurs. Because it has a long half-life, a safer, shorter-acting drug is preferred over clonazepam, if possible.[3,4]
“Summary of Use during Lactation”, LactMed record “Clonazepam” (LM344), quoted verbatim. Everything LactMed reports about Clonazepam while breastfeeding.
The US prescribing label says
Nursing Mothers: Risk Summary Clonazepam is excreted in human milk. There are reports of sedation, poor feeding and poor weight gain in infants exposed to benzodiazepines through breast milk. There are no data on the effects of clonazepam on milk production. The developmental and health benefits of breastfeeding should be considered along with the mother's clinical need for clonazepam tablets and any potential adverse effects on the breastfed infant from clonazepam tablets or from the underlying maternal condition.
Prescribing label, section “Nursing Mothers” (opening excerpt): Clonazepam (oral), REMEDYREPACK INC. Read the full section on DailyMed. Quoted verbatim; US labels are written for US prescribers and patients.
Sources
- NHS, Clonazepam (nhs.uk), page last reviewed 27 January 2023. Paraphrased. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- US drug label: Clonazepam (oral), REMEDYREPACK INC., human prescription drug, label effective 27 August 2026, set ID 2606ecf9-3d71-4c1c-bfda-d7d98ffc6011. 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 “Clonazepam” (LM344), 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.