Is Diphenoxylate 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 Diphenoxylate. The text below is quoted from that source — it is not our own verdict.
Summary of use during breastfeeding
No data exist on the use of diphenoxylate during breastfeeding. One expert panel considers diphenoxylate to be unacceptable during breastfeeding while another found it to be potentially toxic.[1,2] Based on its chemical and pharmacological similarity to narcotics, occasional small doses of diphenoxylate may be acceptable while breastfeeding an older infant, but alternatives are preferred, especially while nursing a newborn. Withdrawal symptoms can occur in breastfed infants when maternal administration of an opioid analgesic is stopped, or when breastfeeding is stopped.
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. Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.
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 Diphenoxylate 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 “Diphenoxylate” (LM455). 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.