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Can you use CBD while breastfeeding?

Regulators advise against it. Nobody has measured CBD in human breast milk, but regulators expect some passes into it, and CBD clears from the body slowly.

Facts checked 13 November 20263 min readHow we research

Regulators advise against it. The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) says medicinal cannabis is not appropriate for women who are breastfeeding.1 No study has measured how much CBD passes into human breast milk, but regulators expect that some does.23

What do Australian authorities say?

  • TGA patient guidance. Medicinal cannabis “is not appropriate for” women who are pregnant, planning to become pregnant or breastfeeding.1
  • Pharmacist-only CBD rules. A Schedule 3 CBD product would have to carry the label warning “Do not use if breastfeeding or planning to breastfeed”.4 No such product is on sale. See can you buy CBD at a chemist?
  • Epidyolex product information. It says CBD “will likely pass freely from plasma into milk” and that, as a precaution, breastfeeding should be discontinued during treatment.2

What is known about CBD and breast milk?

No study has measured CBD or its breakdown products in human breast milk, or looked at effects on breastfed babies or on milk supply.5 The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says it expects that “some amount of CBD will be transferred to babies through breast milk”.3

CBD is fat-soluble and slow to clear. After repeated dosing its half-life (the time for blood levels to halve) is 56 to 61 hours.5 So it does not leave the body within a few hours of a dose, and timing feeds around doses is not a known way to avoid exposure.

Is the risk only from CBD?

No.

  • THC. Products sold as CBD can contain THC. In a United States study of 84 CBD products bought online, only 31% were accurately labelled, and some contained undeclared THC.6 The FDA advises against THC and cannabis in any form while breastfeeding.3
  • Contaminants. The FDA has received reports of CBD products containing pesticides, heavy metals, bacteria and fungus.3

What if you take prescribed CBD for epilepsy?

The balance can be different, because anti-seizure medicines should generally be withdrawn gradually.5 That decision belongs to your neurologist and maternity team. Talk to them before changing anything.

What should you do?

  • If you are breastfeeding and thinking about CBD, talk to your GP, midwife, child health nurse or pharmacist about the symptom you want help with. They can explain which options have been studied while breastfeeding.
  • If you have already taken CBD, tell your doctor or midwife what you took and when.
  • If a baby or child swallows a CBD or cannabis product, call the Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26.7

Read the full guide: CBD in pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Footnotes

  1. Therapeutic Goods Administration. Guidance for the use of medicinal cannabis in Australia: patient information, version 1, December 2017. https://www.tga.gov.au/sites/default/files/guidance-use-medicinal-cannabis-australia-patient-information.pdf ↩ ↩2

  2. Therapeutic Goods Administration. Epidyolex (cannabidiol) Australian Product Information, version attached to the AusPAR, January 2021 (may be superseded). https://www.tga.gov.au/sites/default/files/auspar-cannabidiol-210115-pi.pdf ↩ ↩2

  3. US Food and Drug Administration. What you should know about using cannabis, including CBD, when pregnant or breastfeeding, content current as of October 2019. https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/what-you-should-know-about-using-cannabis-including-cbd-when-pregnant-or-breastfeeding ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  4. Australian Government. Therapeutic Goods (Poisons Standard, October 2026) Instrument 2026, Appendix F (warning statements 67 and 111 for cannabidiol in Schedule 3). https://www.legislation.gov.au/F2026L01327/asmade/2026-09-30/text/original/pdf ↩

  5. Jazz Pharmaceuticals. Epidiolex (cannabidiol) oral solution, US prescribing information, DailyMed (accessed November 2026). https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=8bf27097-4870-43fb-94f0-f3d0871d1eec ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  6. Bonn-Miller and others. Labelling accuracy of 84 cannabidiol products sold online. JAMA, 2017. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2661569 ↩

  7. healthdirect. Poisoning (Poisons Information Line 13 11 26). https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/poisoning ↩

This page is general information, not medical or legal advice. Laws and evidence change; we show the date we last checked the facts at the top of every page. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.

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