Chloramphenicol and pregnancy
Chloramphenicol eye treatments and ear drops 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 is healthy, it's OK to use chloramphenicol eye treatment and ear drops while breastfeeding, but other medicines might be better. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist first. It's better to only use chloramphenicol treatments for a short while.
If there's 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 for treatments used for the eyes and ears, but it's likely to be very low levels. These levels are thought to be too low to cause side effects in your baby.
Wash your hands thoroughly after using these treatments and before picking up your baby.
It's important to keep monitoring your baby if you're taking any medicine while breastfeeding.
Contact your healthcare professional or call 111 as soon as possible if you notice that your baby:
- is not feeding as well as usual
- has diarrhoea or is being sick (vomiting)
- has a rash, or seems to bruise easily
- seems unusually pale or tired
If your baby has any symptoms that are not listed, or if you're worried about them, you can also call 111 or contact any healthcare professional.
Chloramphenicol and fertility
There's no evidence that using chloramphenicol affects fertility in either men or women.
Non-urgent advice: Tell your doctor if you're:
- trying to get pregnant
- pregnant
- breastfeeding