It is possible to safely combine breast feeding and cold medicine if absolutely necessary. Safely using medications while breastfeeding requires medical supervision. Understand that these drugs only treat symptoms. Colds are viruses, and the drugs will not make them go away any faster.
Although there are many exceptions, a basic rule of thumb is that 1% of the dose that you take (maternal dose) will find its way into your breast milk and therefore be given to your baby. Relative baby does of less than 10% are generally considered safe for babies.
Breast feeding and Cold Medicine |
| Usually Safe When Breast feeding | Usually Safe - monitor baby for drowsiness | Usually Safe - monitor for decreased milk production | AVOID - DO NOT USE while breast feeding |
  | Actifed | Actifed | Actifed Plus |
| - | Alcomed2-60 | Alcomed2-60 | Actifed Sinus Daytime |
| - | - | Actifed Allergy Daytime | Actifed Sinus Nighttime |
| - | - | Actifed Allergy Nighttime | Advil Cold and Sinus |
| Afrin Moisturizing Saline Mist | - | Afrin Allergy Nasal Spray | Alka-Seltzer Cold & Cough Medicine |
| Afrin Saline Mist With Eucalyptol and Menthol | - | Afrin Extra Moisturizing Nasal Spray | Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold & Flu Medicine |
| - | - | Afrin Original Spray, Nose Drops and Pump Mist | Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold Medicine |
| - | - | Afrin Severe Congestion Spray | Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold & Sinus Medicine |
| - | - | Afrin Sinus Nasal Spray | Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold Medicine LiquiGels |
| AYR Saline Mist and Drops | - | Alconefrin nasal spray | Alka-Seltzer Plus Night-Time Cold Medicine |
| Breast feeding and Cold Medicine |
| Usually Safe When Breast feeding | Usually Safe - monitor baby for drowsiness | Usually Safe - monitor for decreased milk production | AVOID - DO NOT USE while breast feeding |
| - | Allerest Maximum Strength | Allerest Maximum Strength | Allerest Headache Strength |
| - | - | - | Allerest No Drowsiness |
| - | - | - | Allerest Sinus Pain Formula |
| - | - | - | Allerest 12 Hour |
| - | - | - | Bayer Select Sinus Pain Relief Formula |
| - | - | - | BC Allergy Sinus Cold Powder |
| - | - | - | BC Sinus Cold Powder |
| - | Benadryl Allergy/Congestion | Benadryl Allergy/Congestion | Benadryl Allergy/Cold |
| - | Benadryl Allergy Liquid or Dye-Free Liquid | - | Benadryl Allergy Sinus Headache Caplets & Gellcaps |
| - | Benadryl Allergy Ultratab Tablets, Kapseals, Chewables, or Dye-Free Liqui-Gels | | Benzedres nasal Inhaler |
| Breast feeding and Cold Medicine |
| Usually Safe When Breast feeding | Usually Safe - monitor baby for drowsiness | Usually Safe - monitor for decreased milk production | AVOID - DO NOT USE while breast feeding |
| - | Benylin Adult Formula | - | Benylin Multisymptom |
| - | Benylin Cough Syrup | - | - |
| - | Benylin Expectorant | - | Buckley's Mixture |
| Cepacol Maximum Strength Sore Throat Spray | Chlor-Trimeton 4-Hour Allergy | Chlor-Trimeton 4-Hour Allergy/Decongestant | Chlor-Trimeton 8 and 12-Hour Allergy |
| Cheracol-D | - | - | Chlor-Trimeton 12-Hour Allergy/Decongestant |
| Celestial Seasons Soothers Herbal Throat Drops | - | Cheracol nasl Spray | Cheracol Plus |
| Cepacol Regular Strength Sore Throat Lozenges | - | - | Cheracol Sinus |
| Cepacol Maximum Strength Sore Throat Lozenges | - | - | Cyrose DM |
| - | - | - | CoADVIL |
| - | - | - | all COMTREX cold medicine |
| Breast feeding and Cold Medicine |
| Usually Safe When Breast feeding | Usually Safe - monitor baby for drowsiness | Usually Safe - monitor for decreased milk production | AVOID - DO NOT USE while breast feeding |
| - | - | - | all Contac cold medicine |
| - | - | - | all Coricidin cold medicine |
| - | - | - | Delsym Cough Formula |
| | | all Dimetapp cold medicine |
| - | - | Dristan Long Lasting Nasal Spray | all Dristan cold medicine |
| - | - | Duration 12-Hour Nasal Spray | all Drixoral cold & allergy medicine |
| - | - | Expressin 400 | Efidac-24 |
| 4-Way Saline Moisturizing Nasal Mist | | 4-Way Fast Acting and Long Acting Nasal Sprays | 4-Way Cold Tablets |
| - | - | Guaifed | - |
| Halls Throat Lozenges and Cough Suppressant Drops | - | Guaifed | Hyland's cold medicines |
| Breast feeding and Cold Medicine |
| Usually Safe When Breast feeding | Usually Safe - monitor baby for drowsiness | Usually Safe - monitor for decreased milk production | AVOID - DO NOT USE while breast feeding |
| HOLD Lozenges | Isohist 2.0 | - | Isoclo Timesule |
| Little Noses Saline nasal | - | Nostril Nasal Decongestant | Motrin IB Sinus Pain Reliever |
| N'ICE Lozenges | Nasalcrom A Tablets | Neo-Synephrine Nasal Sprays | Nasalcrom CA Caplets |
| NasalCrom Nasal Spray | Novahistine | Novahistine | Novahistine DMX |
| Nasal Moist Gel and Solution | - | Neo-Synephrine Drops | Oscillococcinum Pellets |
| Nose Better Natural Mist | - | NTZ Spray and Drops | Pertussin DM Extra Strength |
| Ocean Nasal Mist | - | - | Pyrroxate |
| Robitussin | Robitussin DM | Robitussin-PE | Robitussin-CF |
| Robitussin Cough Drops | - | - | Robitussin Cold-Cold,Cough, & Flu |
| - | - | Robitussin Cold-Severe Congestion Liqui-Gels | Robitussin Cold Night-Time |
| Breast feeding and Cold Medicine |
| Usually Safe When Breast feeding | Usually Safe - monitor baby for drowsiness | Usually Safe - monitor for decreased milk production | AVOID - DO NOT USE while breast feeding |
| - | Ryna Liquid | Ryna Liquid | Ryna-C Liquid |
| - | - | - | Ryna-CX Liquid |
| Scot-Tussin Expectorant | | St. Joseph Nasal Decongestant | Scot-Tussin DM |
| Scot-Tussin Sugar-Free, Alcohol-Free Expectorant | Scot-Tussin Sugar-Free Allergy Relief Formula | - | Scot-Tussin Sugar-Free DM |
| Scot-Tussin Sugar-Free Cough Chasers | - | - | Sinarest No Drowsiness |
| Sucrets Maximum Strength Sore Throat Lozenges | Sucrets 4-Hour Cough Suppressant Lozenges | - | Sucrets Regular Strength |
| Sucrets Regular Strength Vapor | - | - | Sinarest Regular and Extra Strength |
| Salinex Nasal Mist and Drops | - | - | Sine-Aid |
| - | - | - | Sine-Off |
| - | - | - | Singlet |
| Breast feeding and Cold Medicine |
| Usually Safe When Breast feeding | Usually Safe - monitor baby for drowsiness | Usually Safe - monitor for decreased milk production | AVOID - DO NOT USE while breast feeding |
| - | - | Sinutab Non-Drying Liquid Caps | Sinutab Sinus Allergy Medication Maximum Strength |
| - | Sudafed Cold & Allergy Tablets | Sudafed Cold & Allergy Tablets | Sudafed Cold & Cough Liquid Caps |
| - | - | Sudafed Nasal Decongestant | Sudafed Severe Cold Formula |
| - | - | Sudafed Non-Drying Sinus Liquid Caps | Sudafed Sinus |
| - | Suppressin DM | - | Sudafed 12-Hour and 24-Hour Tablets |
| - | - | - | TAVIST |
| - | - | - | all Theraflu cold medicine |
| - | Triaminic AM Decongestant | - | Triaminic AM Cough and Decongestant |
| - | Triaminic Cold & Allergy Softchews | Triaminic Cold & Allergy Softchews | - |
| - | - | - | Triaminic DM Syrup |
| - | - | - | Triaminic Expectorant |
| - | - | - | Triaminic Night Time |
| Breast feeding and Cold Medicine |
| Usually Safe When Breast feeding | Usually Safe - monitor baby for drowsiness | Usually Safe - monitor for decreased milk production | AVOID - DO NOT USE while breast feeding |
| - | - | - | Triaminic Severe Cold & Fever |
| - | - | - | Triaminic Sore Throat |
| - | - | - | Triaminic Syrup |
| - | - | - | Triaminic Throat Pain & Cough |
| - | - | - | all Tylenol allergy, cold, flu medicine |
| - | - | - | Ursinus |
| Vicks Cough Drops | Vicks 44 Cough Relief | - | all Vicks DayQuil and NyQuil |
| - | Vicks 44E Cough & Chest Congestion Relief | - | Vicks 44M Cough, Cold & Flu Relief |
| - | - | - | Vicks 44D Cough & Head Congestion Relief |
| - | - | - | Vicks Chloraseptic Sore Throat Spray |
