Is Varenicline 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 Varenicline. The text below is quoted from that source — it is not our own verdict.
Summary of use during breastfeeding
Varenicline is a partial nicotine agonist used orally to assist smoking cessation and by nasal spray for dry eyes. One researcher points out that based on animal data on nicotine, varenicline might interfere with normal infant lung development and recommends against its use in nursing mothers.[1] Because no information is available on the use of varenicline during breastfeeding, an alternate drug is preferred, especially while nursing a newborn or preterm infant.[2] However, maternal drug exposure after the nasal spray is only about 7.5% that of the oral drug, so the spray is much less likely to affect the infant. If a mother chooses to breastfeed while taking varenicline, she should monitor her infant for seizures and excessive vomiting.[3]
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.
Varenicline in pregnancy
LactMed covers breastfeeding only. For what the NHS and the US prescribing label say about pregnancy, see:
“No published information” means the studies do not exist yet — not that Varenicline 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 “Varenicline” (LM784). 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.