Is Cefadroxil safe while breastfeeding?
Here is what LactMed, the Drugs and Lactation Database published by the U.S. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), reports about Cefadroxil. The text below is quoted from that source — it is not our own verdict.
Summary of use during breastfeeding
Cefadroxil is no longer marketed in in the US. Limited information indicates that cefadroxil produces low levels in milk that are not expected to cause adverse effects in breastfed infants. Occasionally disruption of the infant's gastrointestinal flora, resulting in diarrhea or thrush have been reported with cephalosporins, but these effects have not been adequately evaluated. Cefadroxil is acceptable in nursing mothers.
Effects on the breastfed infant
Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.
Effects on milk supply
Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.
Levels in milk
Maternal Levels. After a single 500 mg oral dose of cefadroxil in 5 women, peak milk levels ranged from 0.6 to 0.9 mg/L. Peak levels occurred from 5 to 6 hours after the dose with an average of 0.65 mg/L at 5 hours and 0.68 mg/L at 6 hours after the dose.[1]
After a single 1 gram oral dose of cefadroxil in 6 women who were 2 days postpartum, peak levels occurred 6 to 7 hours after the dose and averaged 1.83 mg/L (range 1.2 to 2.4 mg/L).[2]
After a single 500 mg oral dose of cefadroxil in 2 or 3 women, peak milk levels of 0.4 mg/L occurred 4 hours after the dose.[3]
In all of the above studies, cefadroxil was undetectable in most women's milk for the first hour after the dose.
Infant Levels. Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.
Alternatives LactMed lists
“No published information” means the studies do not exist yet — not that Cefadroxil is known to be harmful, and not that it is known to be safe. Your prescriber or pharmacist can weigh your baby's age and whether a better-studied alternative would do the same job. Worth asking before stopping a medicine you need.
Source: Drugs and Lactation Database (LactMed), National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), via NCBI Bookshelf, record “Cefadroxil” (LM42). LactMed on NCBI Bookshelf. LactMed is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Educational summary of an authoritative source — not medical advice. Never start, stop, or change a medicine while breastfeeding without confirming with your doctor.