Our unique Drugs in Breastmilk service (DiBM) provides information to mothers, parents, families and healthcare professionals on taking medication whilst breastfeeding. It is run by registered pharmacists who are all trained to give breastfeeding support.
We provide evidence-based information on the compatibility and relative risk of individual medications, products and procedures with breastfeeding. We help you to explore your situation by asking open questions, listening, and sharing current research and evidence.
Access our service and support
- Review our bank of 70+ factsheets which cover the most commonly queried medications, treatments and procedures. They explain the evidence available, as well as exploring possible alternatives where necessary.
- Contact the team of volunteer pharmacist helpers by sending a private message via our Facebook page or via email.
- Please provide as much information as possible (including your postcode, age of baby, name of medication or drug, dose and frequency).
- Our volunteer pharmacists respond to enquiries every day of the year within the hours of 8:30am-8:30pm.
- Enquiries will be answered as soon as possible and we try to respond within 24 hours.
Ours is not an emergency service. In an emergency situation, please seek support from a trained healthcare professional. Information on services near you and how to contact them is available on the NHS website.
Always seek medical assistance if you have concerns or questions about your condition. Your healthcare professional can support you to make an informed decision. Clinical decisions, remain the responsibility of your healthcare professional.
Information for Healthcare Professionals
As well as providing a direct lifeline for families, many healthcare professionals use our free service as a point of reference before they give information on breastfeeding and drug compatibility. We are happy to be contacted by healthcare professionals and will always provide whatever information we can.
However, as a volunteer service, we have limited capacity to carry out searches on information from comples queries or where numerous medicines are involved. In this instance, we would direct you to your local NHS Trust’s Medicines Information Department, or pharmacy team who will have access to evidence-based resources including SPS.
If you are interested in learning more about our service and how we operate, please get in touch via email to Hayley.Alton@breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk
The Drugs in Breastmilk telephone helpline was closed in 2017 as most of our enquiries were coming through email or social media. If you still have the Drugs in Breastmilk helpline telephone number on any materials or web pages please could you remove it and replace it with the following information:
‘If you have specific questions about medications or treatments, please email: druginformation@breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk or message the Drugs in Breastmilk information service Facebook page. If you require breastfeeding support, please contact the National Breastfeeding Helpline on 0300 100 0212.’
Evaluation of the Drugs in Breastmilk Information Service
In 2019, BfN commissioned Swansea University to undertake an evaluation of the DIBM service we offer. The executive summary of this report can be found here and the full report can be found here.
Page updated June 2025
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