Is Prochlorperazine 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 Prochlorperazine. The text below is quoted from that source — it is not our own verdict.
Summary of use during breastfeeding
Based on minimal excretion of other phenothiazine derivatives, it appears that occasional short-term use of prochlorperazine for the treatment of nausea and vomiting poses little risk to the breastfed infant.
Effects on the breastfed infant
Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.
Effects on milk supply
Galactorrhea has been reported with prochlorperazine.[1] Hyperprolactinemia appears to be the cause of the galactorrhea.[2-4]The hyperprolactinemia is caused by the drug's dopamine-blocking action in the tuberoinfundibular pathway.[5]The prolactin level in a mother with established lactation may not affect her ability to breastfeed.
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.
Prochlorperazine in pregnancy
LactMed covers breastfeeding only. For what the NHS and the US prescribing label say about pregnancy, see:
Source: Drugs and Lactation Database (LactMed), National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), via NCBI Bookshelf, record “Prochlorperazine” (LM227). 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.