Can I take salbutamol inhalers while pregnant or breastfeeding?
A plain-words look at what the NHS, the US drug label and LactMed say about salbutamol inhalers.
In short
Pregnancy: Salbutamol can be used in pregnancy. Keeping your asthma well treated is important, so do not hold back from using your inhaler when you need it.
Breastfeeding: You can use your salbutamol inhaler as normal while breastfeeding.
Your doctor, midwife or pharmacist can help you decide.
What this means for you
Pregnancy
- Salbutamol can be used in pregnancy.
- Keeping your asthma well treated is important, so do not hold back from using your inhaler when you need it.
- Your doctor will advise you to keep using your salbutamol inhaler if you have asthma, and can give you advice on managing your asthma while you're pregnant.
- Tell your midwife or doctor if your asthma gets worse, as you may need more treatment.
Breastfeeding
- Carrying on treating your asthma is important to keep you well, and breastfeeding also benefits you both.
- The amount of salbutamol that reaches breast milk is not known, but the levels are likely to be very low.
- It has been used widely by breastfeeding mothers for many years without causing side effects in breastfed babies.
- Side effects in breastfed babies from medicines their mother takes are very rare, but it's important to keep an eye on your baby whenever you take medicines while breastfeeding.
- Keep using the medicine and carry on breastfeeding as normal until you've had advice about your baby's symptoms.
When to get help
- Contact a healthcare professional or call 111 (NHS 111 in the UK) as soon as you can if your baby is feeding less well than normal.
- For symptoms not mentioned here, or if you're worried about your baby, you can also speak to any healthcare professional or call 111.
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
Salbutamol inhalers in pregnancy
The NHS says
Salbutamol can be used in pregnancy. Keeping your asthma well treated is important, so do not hold back from using your inhaler when you need it.
Your doctor will advise you to keep using your salbutamol inhaler if you have asthma, and can give you advice on managing your asthma while you're pregnant.
Tell your midwife or doctor if your asthma gets worse, as you may need more treatment.
In our words, from the NHS page Salbutamol inhalers (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 Teratogenic Effects Pregnancy Category C: Albuterol has been shown to be teratogenic in mice. A study in CD-1 mice at subcutaneous (sc) doses of 0.025, 0.25, and 2.5 mg/kg (approximately 1/100, 1/10, and 1.0 times, respectively, the maximum recommended daily inhalation dose for adults on a mg/m 2 basis), showed cleft palate formation in 5 of 111 (4.5%) fetuses at 0.25 mg/kg and in 10 of 108 (9.3%) fetuses at 2.5 mg/kg. The drug did not induce cleft palate formation at the lowest dose, 0.025 mg/kg. Cleft palate also occurred in 22 of 72 (30.5%) fetuses from females treated with 2.5 mg/kg isoproterenol (positive control) subcutaneously (approximately 1.0 times the maximum recommended daily inhalation dose for adults on a mg/m 2 basis). A reproduction study in Stride Dutch rabbits revealed cranioschisis in 7 of 19 (37%) fetuses when albuterol was administered orally at a 50 mg/kg dose (approximately 80 times the maximum recommended daily inhalation dose for adults on a mg/m 2 basis). There are no adequate and well-controlled studies in pregnant women.
Prescribing label, section “Pregnancy” (opening excerpt): Albuterol Sulfate (respiratory (inhalation)), Rising Pharma Holdings, Inc. Read the full section on DailyMed. Quoted verbatim; US labels are written for US prescribers and patients.
This quote is from the respiratory (inhalation) formulation label.
Salbutamol inhalers while breastfeeding
The NHS says
You can use your salbutamol inhaler as normal while breastfeeding.
Carrying on treating your asthma is important to keep you well, and breastfeeding also benefits you both.
The amount of salbutamol that reaches breast milk is not known, but the levels are likely to be very low. It has been used widely by breastfeeding mothers for many years without causing side effects in breastfed babies.
Side effects in breastfed babies from medicines their mother takes are very rare, but it's important to keep an eye on your baby whenever you take medicines while breastfeeding.
Contact a healthcare professional or call 111 (NHS 111 in the UK) as soon as you can if your baby is feeding less well than normal.
For symptoms not mentioned here, or if you're worried about your baby, you can also speak to any healthcare professional or call 111.
Keep using the medicine and carry on breastfeeding as normal until you've had advice about your baby's symptoms.
In our words, from the NHS page Salbutamol inhalers (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 no published data exist on the use of albuterol by mouth or inhaler during lactation, data from the related drug, terbutaline, indicate that very little is expected to be excreted into breastmilk.[1-3] The authors of several reviews and expert guidelines agree that use of inhaled bronchodilators is acceptable during breastfeeding because of the low bioavailability and maternal serum levels after use.[4-7]
“Summary of Use during Lactation”, LactMed record “Albuterol” (LM6), quoted verbatim. Everything LactMed reports about Albuterol while breastfeeding.
The US prescribing label says
Nursing Mothers: It is not known whether this drug is excreted in human milk. Because of the potential for tumorigenicity shown for albuterol in some animal studies, a decision should be made whether to discontinue nursing or to discontinue the drug, taking into account the importance of the drug to the mother.
Prescribing label, section “Nursing Mothers”: Albuterol Sulfate (respiratory (inhalation)), Rising Pharma Holdings, Inc. Label on DailyMed. Quoted verbatim; US labels are written for US prescribers and patients.
This quote is from the respiratory (inhalation) formulation label.
Other names
UK brand names (per the NHS): Ventolin, Airomir, Asmalal, Easyhaler, Pulvinal, Salamol, Easi-Breathe, Salbulin.
Indian brands (per NPPA): Asthalin.
US name: albuterol.
Sources
- NHS, Salbutamol inhalers (nhs.uk), page last reviewed 13 February 2025. Paraphrased. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- US drug label: Albuterol Sulfate (respiratory (inhalation)), Rising Pharma Holdings, Inc., human prescription drug, label effective 16 July 2026, set ID 3236f82c-14e9-dfd4-e063-6294a90ac43d. 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 “Albuterol” (LM6), 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.