Can you take budesonide while breastfeeding?
What LactMed says
The National Library of Medicine’s own summary, quoted in full. We do not write a verdict of our own on this question, and we do not compress theirs into a label.
The amounts of inhaled budesonide excreted into breastmilk are minute and infant exposure is negligible. When taken by mouth, budesonide is only about 9% bioavailable; bioavailability in the infant is likely to be similarly low for any budesonide that enters the breastmilk. Expert opinion considers inhaled, nasal, oral and rectal corticosteroids acceptable to use during breastfeeding.
Quoted from Budesonide — Drugs and Lactation Database (LactMed®), National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, revised January 15, 2026.
What LactMed would consider instead
LactMed ends this record by naming the drugs it would consider in place of budesonide. Whether any of them fits depends on what you are treating — this is the database’s list, not a recommendation from us.
How much budesonide gets into breastmilk
Maternal Levels. The manufacturer reports that the maximum budesonide plasma concentration following a 9 mg daily dose in both single- and repeated-dose pharmacokinetic studies of oral budesonide ranges from 2.15 to 4.31 mcg/L, which is 10 times higher than with inhaled budesonide. With rectal budesonide, maternal serum levels are about 0.4 mcg/L. Inhaled budesonide results in a relative infant dose of 0.3%, so the oral dose could provide an oral weight-adjusted dose of 3% to a breastfed infant. However, since the drug is only about 9% absorbed orally, the infant’s systemic RID after maternal oral use would be about 0.27%. The RID after rectal budesonide would be about 0.025%.
Eight women with asthma were using inhaled budesonide 200 mcg (n = 4) or 400 mcg twice daily (n = 4) by Pulmicort Turbihaler. Peak milk levels of budesonide of 168 ng/L and 335 ng/L occurred at 32 and 43 minutes after inhalation with the 200 mcg and 400 mcg doses, respectively. Average infant doses were estimated to be 6.8 and 14.2 ng/kg daily for the 200 mcg and 400 mcg dosages. A fully breastfed infant would receive a maximum of 0.3% of the weight-adjusted maternal dosage, assuming 100% oral bioavailability from breastmilk.
Infant Levels. Four infants whose mothers were taking budesonide 200 mcg (n = 2) or 400 mcg (n = 2) twice daily by Pulmicort Turbihaler. The infants had serum samples taken 1.5 hours (range 0.7 to 2 hours) after the first breastfeeding after drug administration and 2.3 hours (range 2.1 to 2.6 hours) after maternal drug inhalation. All had undetectable (<8.6 to 17.2 ng/L) serum budesonide concentrations.
What has been seen in breastfed infants
None reported with any corticosteroid.
Effects on milk supply
Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.
Frequently asked questions
Can you take budesonide while breastfeeding?
The amounts of inhaled budesonide excreted into breastmilk are minute and infant exposure is negligible. The full record is quoted on this page, and the decision is one to make with the person who prescribed it — LactMed itself states it is not a substitute for professional judgement.
What can I take instead of budesonide while breastfeeding?
LactMed lists Beclomethasone as alternate drugs to consider. That is the database's own list for this drug — whether any of them suits you depends on what you are treating.
Does budesonide pass into breastmilk?
LactMed's measured drug levels for budesonide are quoted in full on this page, under "How much gets into breastmilk".
Do I need to pump and dump after taking budesonide?
LactMed does not frame its records that way — it reports measured drug levels in milk and what has been observed in breastfed infants, which is what this page quotes. "Pump and dump" advice for a specific drug and dose should come from your clinician or a pharmacist, not from a general rule.
More on budesonide
LactMed states that the information it presents is not a substitute for professional judgement, and that you should consult your healthcare provider for breastfeeding advice related to your particular situation. Nothing on this page is medical advice.