Pregnancy, breastfeeding and fertility while taking chloramphenicol

Chloramphenicol and pregnancy

Chloramphenicol eye treatments and eardrops can be used in pregnancy. Only tiny amounts are absorbed into the bloodstream and it's not thought that these can harm your baby.

Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about the best treatment for you. This will depend on how bad the infection is and whether there are other medicines that might be more suitable.

Chloramphenicol and breastfeeding

If your baby was born well and healthy it is OK to use chloramphenicol eye treatment and eardrops while breastfeeding.

If there is a family history of any sort of blood disorder, including aplastic anaemia, you may be advised not to use chloramphenicol.

It's not yet known how much chloramphenicol passes into breast milk, but it's likely to be a tiny amount for preparations used for the eyes and ears. However, until we know more about chloramphenicol in breastfeeding, other medicines might be recommended.

Wash your hands thoroughly before picking up your baby.

If you notice your baby has a stomach upset, seems unusually unsettled, has a rash, or seems an unusual colour, talk to your health visitor, midwife or doctor as soon as possible.

Chloramphenicol and fertility

There's no evidence to suggest that using chloramphenicol reduces fertility in either men or women.

Find out more about how chloramphenicol can affect you and your baby during pregnancy on the Best Use of Medicines in Pregnancy (BUMPs) website.