Can I take tolterodine while pregnant or breastfeeding?
A plain-words look at what the NHS, the US drug label and LactMed say about tolterodine.
In short
Pregnancy: Tolterodine is not usually recommended in pregnancy, because there isn't enough information to say whether it's safe for you and your baby.
Breastfeeding: If your baby is healthy, you can take tolterodine while breastfeeding if you need to, although other medicines might be better.
Your doctor, midwife or pharmacist can help you decide.
What this means for you
Pregnancy
- If you're trying for a baby or are already pregnant, speak to your doctor about whether tolterodine is right for you.
Breastfeeding
- Your doctor or pharmacist will help you decide.
- Nobody knows exactly how much tolterodine reaches breast milk, but the levels are likely to be very low.
- Side effects in breastfed babies from medicines their mother takes are very rare.
- Even so, it's important to keep an eye on your baby while you take any medicine and breastfeed.
- Until you've had advice about your baby's symptoms, keep taking tolterodine and carry on breastfeeding as normal.
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 normally or not gaining weight as expected; is acting differently, such as being irritable or unusually sleepy; is constipated (finding it hard to poo) or is peeing less, with fewer wet nappies; has diarrhoea or is being sick (vomiting); or has dry skin.
- If your baby has any other symptoms, or you're worried about them, you can still call 111 or get in touch with any healthcare professional.
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
Tolterodine in pregnancy
The NHS says
Tolterodine is not usually recommended in pregnancy, because there isn't enough information to say whether it's safe for you and your baby.
If you're trying for a baby or are already pregnant, speak to your doctor about whether tolterodine is right for you.
In our words, from the NHS page Tolterodine (nhs.uk). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (OGL v3.0). The NHS does not endorse this site.
What these words mean
- metabolite
- a substance made when the body breaks down a medicine
Definitions adapted from the NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms (National Cancer Institute).
The US drug label says
8.1 Pregnancy Risk Summary There are no available data with tolterodine tartrate extended-release capsules use in pregnant women to inform drug-associated risks. In animal reproduction studies, oral administration of tolterodine and its 5-HMT metabolite to pregnant mice during organogenesis did not produce adverse developmental outcomes at doses approximately 9 to 12 times the clinical exposure at a dose of 20 mg/kg/day; however, higher doses produced adverse developmental outcomes (see Data). In the U.S. general population, the estimated background rate of major birth defects and miscarriage in clinically recognized pregnancies is 2 to 4% and 15 to 20%, respectively.
Prescribing label, section “8.1 Pregnancy” (opening excerpt): Tolterodine Tartrate (oral), A-S Medication Solutions. Read the full section on DailyMed. Quoted verbatim; US labels are written for US prescribers and patients.
Tolterodine while breastfeeding
The NHS says
If your baby is healthy, you can take tolterodine while breastfeeding if you need to, although other medicines might be better. Your doctor or pharmacist will help you decide.
Nobody knows exactly how much tolterodine reaches breast milk, but the levels are likely to be very low.
Side effects in breastfed babies from medicines their mother takes are very rare. Even so, it's important to keep an eye on your baby while you take 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 normally or not gaining weight as expected; is acting differently, such as being irritable or unusually sleepy; is constipated (finding it hard to poo) or is peeing less, with fewer wet nappies; has diarrhoea or is being sick (vomiting); or has dry skin.
If your baby has any other symptoms, or you're worried about them, you can still call 111 or get in touch with any healthcare professional.
Until you've had advice about your baby's symptoms, keep taking tolterodine and carry on breastfeeding as normal.
In our words, from the NHS page Tolterodine (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
No information is available on the use of tolterodine during breastfeeding. Long-term use of tolterodine might reduce milk production or milk letdown. During long-term use, observe for signs of decreased lactation (e.g., insatiety, poor weight gain).
“Summary of Use during Lactation”, LactMed record “Tolterodine” (LM768), quoted verbatim. Everything LactMed reports about Tolterodine while breastfeeding.
What these words mean
- metabolite
- a substance made when the body breaks down a medicine
Definitions adapted from the NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms (National Cancer Institute).
The US prescribing label says
8.2 Lactation Risk Summary There is no information on the presence of tolterodine or its 5-HMT metabolite in human milk, the effects on the breastfed infant, or the effects on milk production. Based on limited data, tolterodine is excreted into the milk in mice in low amounts (see Data) . The development and health benefits of breastfeeding should be considered along with the mother’s clinical need for tolterodine tartrate extended-release capsules and any potential adverse effects on the breastfed infant from tolterodine tartrate extended-release capsules or from the underlying maternal condition.
Prescribing label, section “8.2 Lactation” (opening excerpt): Tolterodine Tartrate (oral), A-S Medication Solutions. Read the full section on DailyMed. Quoted verbatim; US labels are written for US prescribers and patients.
Other names
UK brand names (per the NHS): Neditol, Detrusitol, Mariosea.
Sources
- NHS, Tolterodine (nhs.uk), page last reviewed 25 March 2025. Paraphrased. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- US drug label: Tolterodine Tartrate (oral), A-S Medication Solutions, human prescription drug, label effective 9 January 2026, set ID fd6c8b3d-a52a-4418-aa9c-0297db6c0807. 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 “Tolterodine” (LM768), 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.