Can I take pseudoephedrine while pregnant or breastfeeding?
A plain-words look at what the NHS, the US drug label and LactMed say about pseudoephedrine.
In short
Pregnancy: Pseudoephedrine is not recommended in pregnancy, as it can reduce blood flow in the placenta and to the baby.
Breastfeeding: Pseudoephedrine is not usually recommended during breastfeeding.
Your doctor, midwife or pharmacist can help you decide.
What this means for you
Pregnancy
- Some evidence suggests that taking pseudoephedrine in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy may be linked to birth defects, although this evidence is not strong.
Breastfeeding
- It appears to reach breast milk only in very small amounts, but there still isn't enough information about pseudoephedrine and breastfeeding.
- Until more is known, other medicines might be better.
- It may also reduce your milk supply, so try to avoid pseudoephedrine if possible.
- If you do need a medicine, ask your doctor or pharmacist, who can advise you on more suitable options.
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
Pseudoephedrine in pregnancy
The NHS says
Pseudoephedrine is not recommended in pregnancy, as it can reduce blood flow in the placenta and to the baby.
Some evidence suggests that taking pseudoephedrine in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy may be linked to birth defects, although this evidence is not strong.
In our words, from the NHS page Pseudoephedrine (Sudafed) (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 Facts label says
If pregnant or breast-feeding, ask a health professional before use.
Drug Facts label: Nasal Decongestant Maximum Strength, Non-Drowsy (oral), Amerisource Bergen. Label on DailyMed. Quoted verbatim; US labels are written for US prescribers and patients.
Pseudoephedrine while breastfeeding
The NHS says
Pseudoephedrine is not usually recommended during breastfeeding.
It appears to reach breast milk only in very small amounts, but there still isn't enough information about pseudoephedrine and breastfeeding. Until more is known, other medicines might be better.
It may also reduce your milk supply, so try to avoid pseudoephedrine if possible.
If you do need a medicine, ask your doctor or pharmacist, who can advise you on more suitable options.
In our words, from the NHS page Pseudoephedrine (Sudafed) (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
Although the small amounts of pseudoephedrine in breastmilk are unlikely to harm the nursing infant, it may cause irritability occasionally. A single dose of pseudoephedrine decreases milk production acutely and repeated use seems to interfere with lactation. Mothers with newborns whose lactation is not yet well established or in mothers who are having difficulties producing sufficient milk should not receive pseudoephedrine. A treatment scheme has been reported for mothers with hypergalactia that uses pseudoephedrine to decrease milk supply.[1]
“Summary of Use during Lactation”, LactMed record “Pseudoephedrine” (LM231), quoted verbatim. Everything LactMed reports about Pseudoephedrine while breastfeeding.
Other names
UK brand names (per the NHS): Sudafed, Galpseud, Boots Decongestant, Care Decongestant.
Sources
- NHS, Pseudoephedrine (Sudafed) (nhs.uk), page last reviewed 2 November 2022. Paraphrased. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- US drug label: Nasal Decongestant Maximum Strength, Non-Drowsy (oral), Amerisource Bergen, human otc drug, label effective 15 August 2026, set ID 1fdb1ba5-4072-4baf-9e30-f01d57bf6d82. 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 “Pseudoephedrine” (LM231), 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.