Can I take doxazosin while pregnant or breastfeeding?

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

In short

Pregnancy: Let your doctor know if you're pregnant. Doxazosin is not usually used in pregnancy, because too little is known about its safety.

Breastfeeding: Let your doctor know if you're breastfeeding.

Your doctor, midwife or pharmacist can help you decide.

What this means for you

Pregnancy

Breastfeeding

When to get help

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

Doxazosin in pregnancy

The NHS says

Let your doctor know if you're pregnant. Doxazosin is not usually used in pregnancy, because too little is known about its safety.

A doctor may still recommend it if the benefits outweigh the risks.

In our words, from the NHS page Doxazosin (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 Studies in pregnant rabbits and rats at daily oral doses of up to 41 and 20 mg/kg, respectively (plasma drug concentrations 10 and 4 times human C max and AUC exposures with a 12 mg/day therapeutic dose), have revealed no evidence of harm to the fetus. A dosage regimen of 82 mg/kg/day in the rabbit was associated with reduced fetal survival. There are no adequate and well-controlled studies in pregnant women. Because animal reproduction studies are not always predictive of human response, doxazosin should be used during pregnancy only if clearly needed. Radioactivity was found to cross the placenta following oral administration of labelled doxazosin to pregnant rats. Nonteratogenic Effects In peri-postnatal studies in rats, postnatal development at maternal doses of 40 or 50 mg/kg/day of doxazosin (8 times human AUC exposure with a 12 mg/day therapeutic dose) was delayed, as evidenced by slower body weight gain and slightly later appearance of anatomical features and reflexes.

Prescribing label, section “Pregnancy”: Doxazosin (oral), NuCare Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Label on DailyMed. Quoted verbatim; US labels are written for US prescribers and patients.

Doxazosin while breastfeeding

The NHS says

Let your doctor know if you're breastfeeding.

Very small amounts of doxazosin get into breast milk. A doctor may recommend that you breastfeed if the benefits outweigh the risks.

If you're taking doxazosin while breastfeeding and you're worried about your baby, speak to a healthcare professional or call NHS 111 (in the UK).

In our words, from the NHS page Doxazosin (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 4 mg daily produce low very levels in milk and would not be expected to cause any adverse effects in breastfed infants.

“Summary of Use during Lactation”, LactMed record “Doxazosin” (LM745), quoted verbatim. Everything LactMed reports about Doxazosin while breastfeeding.

The US prescribing label says

Nursing Mothers Studies in lactating rats given a single oral dose of 1 mg/kg of [2- 14 C]-doxazosin indicate that doxazosin accumulates in rat breast milk with a maximum concentration about 20 times greater than the maternal plasma concentration. It is not known whether this drug is excreted in human milk. Because many drugs are excreted in human milk, caution should be exercised when doxazosin is administered to a nursing mother.

Prescribing label, section “Nursing Mothers”: Doxazosin (oral), NuCare Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Label on DailyMed. Quoted verbatim; US labels are written for US prescribers and patients.

Sources

  1. NHS, Doxazosin (nhs.uk), page last reviewed 3 August 2026. Paraphrased. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. US drug label: Doxazosin (oral), NuCare Pharmaceuticals, Inc., human prescription drug, label effective 14 August 2024, set ID 40e47e75-6a47-323b-e054-00144ff8d46c. 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 “Doxazosin” (LM745), 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.