Can I take clonidine while pregnant or breastfeeding?

A plain-words look at what the NHS, the US drug label and LactMed say about clonidine.

In short

Pregnancy: Clonidine is not recommended in pregnancy, because there is little information on whether it's safe for the baby. Talk to your doctor, who can suggest something else to use instead of clonidine while you're pregnant.

Breastfeeding: Clonidine might be OK to take during breastfeeding, but speak to your doctor or pharmacist first.

Your doctor, midwife or pharmacist can help you decide.

What this means for you

Pregnancy

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

Clonidine in pregnancy

The NHS says

Clonidine is not recommended in pregnancy, because there is little information on whether it's safe for the baby. Talk to your doctor, who can suggest something else to use instead of clonidine while you're pregnant.

If you're trying for a baby, ask your doctor to go through the benefits and possible harms of clonidine with you.

If you're pregnant, or think you might be, get advice from your doctor as soon as you can. This matters especially if you take clonidine for blood pressure, because stopping it may make your blood pressure go up.

In our words, from the NHS page Clonidine (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 Teratogenic Effects: Pregnancy Category C. Reproduction studies performed in rabbits at doses up to approximately 3 times the oral maximum recommended daily human dose (MRDHD) of clonidine hydrochloride tablets produced no evidence of a teratogenic or embryotoxic potential in rabbits. In rats, however, doses as low as 1/3 the oral MRDHD (1/15 the MRDHD on a mg/m 2 basis) of clonidine were associated with increased resorptions in a study in which dams were treated continuously from 2 months prior to mating. Increased resorptions were not associated with treatment at the same time or at higher dose levels (up to 3 times the oral MRDHD) when the dams were treated on gestation days 6 to 15. Increases in resorption were observed at much higher dose levels (40 times the oral MRDHD on a mg/kg basis; 4 to 8 times the MRDHD on a mg/m 2 basis) in mice and rats treated on gestation days 1 to 14 (lowest dose employed in the study was 500 mcg/kg). No adequate, well-controlled studies have been conducted in pregnant women. Clonidine crosses the placental barrier (see CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY, , Pharmacokinetics ).

Prescribing label, section “Pregnancy” (opening excerpt): Clonidine Hydrochloride (oral), REMEDYREPACK INC. Read the full section on DailyMed. Quoted verbatim; US labels are written for US prescribers and patients.

Clonidine while breastfeeding

The NHS says

Clonidine might be OK to take during breastfeeding, but speak to your doctor or pharmacist first. If your baby was born prematurely, it's best not to take clonidine, but your doctor will help you decide.

Information about clonidine and breastfeeding is limited, but it shows that small amounts reach breast milk. This is unlikely to give your baby side effects, although this is not yet known for certain.

Your doctor might suggest another medicine for you to take while you breastfeed.

Clonidine might make you sleepy, so it's important that you do not share a bed with your baby while taking it.

If you take clonidine while breastfeeding, get in touch as soon as you can with your health visitor, midwife, pharmacist or doctor if anything worries you, including if your baby is feeding less well than normal, seems unusually sleepy, or looks a lot paler than normal.

In our words, from the NHS page Clonidine (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

Because of the high serum levels found in some breastfed infants, possible infant side effects, and the possible negative effects on lactation, other antihypertensive agents are preferred, especially while nursing a newborn or preterm infant.[1] Clonidine used as a single postpartum dose as a neuraxial analgesia adjunct probably has not been studied, but it may reduce the need for other medications or their dosages, and appears unlikely to affect breastfeeding.[2]

“Summary of Use during Lactation”, LactMed record “Clonidine” (LM73), quoted verbatim. Everything LactMed reports about Clonidine while breastfeeding.

The US prescribing label says

Nursing Mothers As clonidine hydrochloride is excreted in human milk, caution should be exercised when clonidine hydrochloride tablets are administered to a nursing woman.

Prescribing label, section “Nursing Mothers”: Clonidine Hydrochloride (oral), REMEDYREPACK INC. Label on DailyMed. Quoted verbatim; US labels are written for US prescribers and patients.

Other names

UK brand names (per the NHS): Catapres.

Sources

  1. NHS, Clonidine (nhs.uk), page last reviewed 10 February 2023. Paraphrased. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. US drug label: Clonidine Hydrochloride (oral), REMEDYREPACK INC., human prescription drug, label effective 9 September 2026, set ID 6d7cfb02-e580-4658-a2fe-2149b515d434. DailyMed (National Library of Medicine). Public domain; quoted verbatim.
  3. Drugs and Lactation Database (LactMed), National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), via NCBI Bookshelf, record “Clonidine” (LM73), 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.