Can I take lercanidipine while pregnant or breastfeeding?
A plain-words look at what the NHS, the US drug label and LactMed say about lercanidipine.
In short
Pregnancy: Let your doctor know if you're pregnant or planning a pregnancy.
Breastfeeding: Let your doctor know if you're breastfeeding.
Your doctor, midwife or pharmacist can help you decide.
What this means for you
Pregnancy
- While you're pregnant, your doctor will usually suggest another blood pressure medicine.
- Keep taking lercanidipine unless they tell you to stop.
Breastfeeding
- Your doctor may suggest a different blood pressure medicine while you're breastfeeding instead of lercanidipine.
When to get help
- Side effects in breastfed babies from medicines their mother uses are rare, but if you're worried about your baby, speak to a healthcare professional or call NHS 111 (in the UK).
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
Lercanidipine in pregnancy
The NHS says
Let your doctor know if you're pregnant or planning a pregnancy.
While you're pregnant, your doctor will usually suggest another blood pressure medicine. Keep taking lercanidipine unless they tell you to stop.
In our words, from the NHS page Lercanidipine (nhs.uk). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (OGL v3.0). The NHS does not endorse this site.
More on lercanidipine in pregnancy: Bumps (Best Use of Medicines in Pregnancy) leaflet (external site).
Lercanidipine while breastfeeding
The NHS says
Let your doctor know if you're breastfeeding.
Your doctor may suggest a different blood pressure medicine while you're breastfeeding instead of lercanidipine.
Side effects in breastfed babies from medicines their mother uses are rare, but if 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 Lercanidipine (nhs.uk). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (OGL v3.0). The NHS does not endorse this site.
Other names
UK brand names (per the NHS): Zanidip.
Sources
- NHS, Lercanidipine (nhs.uk), page last reviewed 13 May 2026. Paraphrased. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Bumps (Best Use of Medicines in Pregnancy), UK Teratology Information Service: Bumps (Best Use of Medicines in Pregnancy) leaflet. Linked, not reproduced.
Sources checked 26 September 2026. How we source and check every page.
Educational summary of named sources, not medical advice.