Can you take trifluoperazine 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.
Limited information indicates that maternal doses of trifluoperazine up to 10 mg daily do not affect the breastfed infant. Very limited long-term follow-up data indicate no adverse developmental effects when other phenothiazines are used alone. A safety scoring system finds trifluoperazine to be not recommended during breastfeeding. Because there is little published experience with trifluoperazine during breastfeeding, other antipsychotic agents may be preferred, especially wile nursing an newborn or preterm infant.
Quoted from Trifluoperazine — Drugs and Lactation Database (LactMed®), National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, revised March 15, 2025.
How much trifluoperazine gets into breastmilk
Maternal Levels. Two mothers taking trifluoperazine 5 and 10 mg per day orally had undetectable milk levels (<1 mcg/L) of trifluoperazine.
Infant Levels. Trifluoperazine was undetectable (<2 mcg/L) in urine at 86 days of age in an infant whose mother was taking trifluoperazine 10 mg daily.
The infant of one mother who was taking trifluoperazine 10 mg per day orally while breastfeeding had a serum trifluoperazine level of 1 mcg/L. The infant was 1.9 weeks old when tested and the mother had been taking trifluoperazine during pregnancy which might have contributed to the infant's serum level.
What has been seen in breastfed infants
Two mothers taking trifluoperazine 5 and 10 mg per day orally breastfed their infants from 1 week and 8 weeks of age, respectively. Mental and psychomotor development were normal at various times up to 30 months of age.
One infant was breastfed from birth during maternal trifluoperazine 10 mg daily in addition to clonazepam 0.25 mg daily and valproic acid 500 mg daily. No adverse effects in the infant were reported by the mother (follow-up time unspecified).
One mother began taking trifluoperazine (dosage unspecified) 2 months postpartum while breastfeeding her infant. She also started olanzapine 10 mg daily, paroxetine and procyclidine (dosages unspecified). The infant experiences no adverse reactions.
Effects on milk supply
Phenothiazines cause galactorrhea in 26 to 40% of female patients. Hyperprolactinemia appears to be the cause of the galactorrhea. The hyperprolactinemia is caused by the drug's dopamine-blocking action in the tuberoinfundibular pathway.
Frequently asked questions
Can you take trifluoperazine while breastfeeding?
Limited information indicates that maternal doses of trifluoperazine up to 10 mg daily do not affect the breastfed infant. 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.
Does trifluoperazine pass into breastmilk?
LactMed's measured drug levels for trifluoperazine are quoted in full on this page, under "How much gets into breastmilk".
Do I need to pump and dump after taking trifluoperazine?
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 trifluoperazine
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.