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Is baclofen safe during pregnancy?

Answered by MotherToBaby’s teratology specialists, quoted in full — including the questions most pages skip, like whether a father’s exposure matters.

By the pharmaranks editorial teamReviewed against the MotherToBaby fact sheet for baclofen (OTIS, published via the NIH) sourcesUpdated Jul 21, 2026How we research

The questions people actually ask about baclofen in pregnancy

Answered by MotherToBaby, the fact sheets written by the Organization of Teratology Information Specialists and published through the NIH. Quoted in full — we do not condense them.

I take baclofen. Can it make it harder for me to get pregnant?

It is not known if baclofen can make it harder to get pregnant.

Does taking baclofen increase the chance of miscarriage?

Miscarriage is common and can occur in any pregnancy for many different reasons. Studies have not been done to see if baclofen increases the chance of miscarriage.

Does taking baclofen increase the chance of birth defects?

Birth defects can happen in any pregnancy for different reasons. Out of all babies born each year, about 3 out of 100 (3%) will have a birth defect. We look at research studies to try to understand if an exposure, like baclofen, might increase the chance of birth defects in a pregnancy.

It is not known if baclofen increases the chance of birth defects above the background risk. There are several case reports of children who were exposed to baclofen during pregnancy who did not have birth defects.

Does taking baclofen in pregnancy increase the chance of other pregnancy-related problems?

Studies have not been done to see if baclofen increases the chance for pregnancy-related problems such as preterm delivery (birth before week 37) or low birth weight (weighing less than 5 pounds, 8 ounces [2500 grams] at birth).

I need to take baclofen throughout my entire pregnancy. Will it cause withdrawal symptoms in my baby after birth?

The use of oral baclofen during pregnancy can cause temporary symptoms in newborns soon after birth. These symptoms are sometimes referred to as withdrawal. Symptoms might include seizures, tremors, rigidity (stiff muscles), drowsiness (being overly sleepy), dilated pupils, dry mouth, and problems feeding. Not all babies exposed to baclofen will have these symptoms. It is important that your healthcare providers know you are taking baclofen so that if symptoms occur your baby can get the care that is best for them. Withdrawal symptoms have not yet been reported in babies whose mothers were treated with baclofen by intrathecal pump. Information from one case report suggests that it takes newborns longer to clear this medication from their body than it does for adults.

Does taking baclofen in pregnancy affect future behavior or learning for the child?

Studies have not been done to see if baclofen can cause behavior or learning issues for the child.

If a man takes baclofen, could it affect fertility (ability to get a woman pregnant) or increase the chance of birth defects?

Studies have not been done to see if baclofen could affect male fertility or increase the chance of birth defects above the background risk. In general, exposures that men have are unlikely to increase risks to a pregnancy. For more information, please see the MotherToBaby fact sheet Paternal Exposures at https://mothertobaby.org/fact-sheets/paternal-exposures-pregnancy/ .

MotherToBaby is a service of the non-profit Organization of Teratology Information Specialists (OTIS). Copyright by OTIS, February 1, 2025.

Quoted from MotherToBaby Fact Sheets — Baclofen, published February 2025. MotherToBaby states its fact sheets should not take the place of medical care and advice from your healthcare providers.

Breastfeeding is a separate question — what LactMed says about baclofen

This is general reference information, not medical advice. Whether to take any medication in pregnancy is a decision for you and your prescriber; do not start or stop a drug on your own, because an untreated condition can also carry risk.