Can I take fusidic acid while pregnant or breastfeeding?
A plain-words look at what the NHS, the US drug label and LactMed say about fusidic acid.
In short
Pregnancy: Fusidic acid cream, ointment and eye drops are safe to use while you're pregnant.
Breastfeeding: You can use fusidic acid cream, ointment or eye drops while breastfeeding. It's very unlikely that any fusidic acid will reach your breast milk.
Your doctor, midwife or pharmacist can help you decide.
What this means for you
Pregnancy
- Very little fusidic acid reaches your baby, and that small amount will not harm them.
Breastfeeding
- You can use fusidic acid cream, ointment or eye drops while breastfeeding.
- It's very unlikely that any fusidic acid will reach your breast milk.
- Some fusidic acid creams also include a steroid.
- These are still OK to use while breastfeeding, but do not put them directly on your breast.
- When you use the cream or ointment, make sure your baby does not touch the areas of your body where you've applied it.
- Wash your hands after using it and before you pick up your baby.
- If you're treating impetigo with fusidic acid and need to apply it to your breasts or nipples, wash it off before you feed your baby.
- Cream is usually better than ointment when breastfeeding, because it washes off more easily.
- If you're using fusidic acid for any other condition, speak to your doctor or a pharmacist before putting it on your breast.
- Side effects in breastfed babies from medicines their mother uses are very rare.
- Even so, it's important to keep an eye on your baby while you use any medicine and breastfeed.
When to get help
- Contact a healthcare professional or call 111 (in the UK) as soon as you can if your baby is not feeding as well as they usually do, shows any unusual symptoms, or if anything about them 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
Fusidic acid in pregnancy
The NHS says
Fusidic acid cream, ointment and eye drops are safe to use while you're pregnant.
Very little fusidic acid reaches your baby, and that small amount will not harm them.
In our words, from the NHS page Fusidic acid (Fucidin) (nhs.uk). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (OGL v3.0). The NHS does not endorse this site.
Fusidic acid while breastfeeding
The NHS says
You can use fusidic acid cream, ointment or eye drops while breastfeeding. It's very unlikely that any fusidic acid will reach your breast milk.
Some fusidic acid creams also include a steroid. These are still OK to use while breastfeeding, but do not put them directly on your breast.
When you use the cream or ointment, make sure your baby does not touch the areas of your body where you've applied it. Wash your hands after using it and before you pick up your baby.
If you're treating impetigo with fusidic acid and need to apply it to your breasts or nipples, wash it off before you feed your baby. Cream is usually better than ointment when breastfeeding, because it washes off more easily. If you're using fusidic acid for any other condition, speak to your doctor or a pharmacist before putting it on your breast.
Side effects in breastfed babies from medicines their mother uses are very rare. Even so, it's important to keep an eye on your baby while you use any medicine and breastfeed.
Contact a healthcare professional or call 111 (in the UK) as soon as you can if your baby is not feeding as well as they usually do, shows any unusual symptoms, or if anything about them worries you.
In our words, from the NHS page Fusidic acid (Fucidin) (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
Fusidic acid is not approved for marketing in the United States by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, but is available in other countries as topical and systemic dosage forms. Data on excretion of fusidic acid into breastmilk are quite old and not from a well-designed study, but levels in breastmilk after intravenous fusidic acid appear to be low.
With topical products, ensure that the infant's skin does not come into direct contact with the areas of skin that have been treated. Only water-miscible cream or gel products should be applied to the breast because ointments may expose the infant to high levels of mineral paraffins via licking.[1] Fusidic acid applied topically to the nipples appears to be relatively ineffective as a treatment for sore, cracked nipples.
“Summary of Use during Lactation”, LactMed record “Fusidic Acid” (LM1304), quoted verbatim. Everything LactMed reports about Fusidic Acid while breastfeeding.
Other names
UK brand names (per the NHS): Fucidin.
Sources
- NHS, Fusidic acid (Fucidin) (nhs.uk), page last reviewed 30 January 2026. Paraphrased. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Drugs and Lactation Database (LactMed), National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), via NCBI Bookshelf, record “Fusidic Acid” (LM1304), 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.