Can you take lindane 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.
Topical application of lindane can increase lindane milk levels for at least several days. Because it is potentially toxic in infants, is a persistent environmental contaminant, and possibly has estrogenic effects that could decrease lactation as well as affect the nursing infant, another agent should be used rather than lindane.
Quoted from Lindane — Drugs and Lactation Database (LactMed®), National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, revised October 15, 2024.
What LactMed would consider instead
LactMed ends this record by naming the drugs it would consider in place of lindane. Whether any of them fits depends on what you are treating — this is the database’s list, not a recommendation from us.
- Ivermectin
- Permethrin
- Pyrethrins
How much lindane gets into breastmilk
Lindane (gamma-benzenehexachloride; gamma-Hexachlorocyclohexane) is a fat-soluble insecticide that is a persistent environmental contaminant. Residues from its use as a pesticide are found in food and subsequently in breastmilk, particularly the milkfat. Recent data from the United States are lacking, but levels appear to be trending downward in industrialized countries. Hexachlorocyclohexane appears to have some estrogenic activity.
Maternal Levels. A German woman with a 2-month-old breastfed infant was treated with lindane 0.3% lotion (the product available in the United States contains 1%) for scabies. The lotion was left on for 24 hours, then washed off. The extent of application was not stated, but is usually applied to all skin from the neck down. A baseline lindane concentration in breastmilk was not obtained, but the average value of lindane in mothers' milk in Germany from pesticides in the food chain at the time of the study was 30 mcg/kg of milk fat. Milk from day 4 to 10 contained lindane in the range of 500 to 900 mcg/kg of milk fat. After another repeat application of lindane, lindane was found in aa concentration of 2000 mcg/kg on day 11. Additional measurements on days 18 and 26 were 600 mcg/kg and 400 mcg/kg, respectively.
Infant Levels. Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.
What has been seen in breastfed infants
In a telephone follow-up study, 9 mothers used lindane topically for head lice during breastfeeding. One reported irritability in her breastfed infant.
Effects on milk supply
Hexachlorocyclohexane appears to have some estrogenic activity which theoretically could suppress lactation.
Frequently asked questions
Can you take lindane while breastfeeding?
Topical application of lindane can increase lindane milk levels for at least several days. 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 lindane while breastfeeding?
LactMed lists Ivermectin, Permethrin, Pyrethrins 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 lindane pass into breastmilk?
LactMed's measured drug levels for lindane are quoted in full on this page, under "How much gets into breastmilk".
Do I need to pump and dump after taking lindane?
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 lindane
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.