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What medications can I use to increase my breastmilk supply?

The two medications most often used off-label to boost milk supply are domperidone and metoclopramide, but evidence for how well they work is weak, and both carry real safety concerns, so they're normally tried only after other feeding support hasn't helped.

In Canada, domperidone is the medication most commonly prescribed for this purpose, while metoclopramide is used more in some other countries but has more bothersome side effects.

Strength of evidence

Mixed

A Cochrane systematic review found only low-certainty evidence that these drugs increase milk volume, based on small trials; safety data come mostly from cohort studies and case reports rather than large RCTs.

What the evidence says

The main medications used to try to increase milk supply are domperidone and metoclopramide. Both work by raising prolactin, the hormone that drives milk production, but neither is officially approved in Canada or the US specifically for this use — they're prescribed off-label.

A Cochrane review looking at domperidone, metoclopramide and sulpiride found they may increase milk volume by a modest amount, but rated the evidence as low-certainty, based on only a few small studies. Domperidone tends to have fewer side effects than metoclopramide, which has been linked to depression, tiredness, and involuntary movements in a meaningful proportion of mothers who take it.

Domperidone itself isn't risk-free: it can rarely cause serious heart rhythm problems, especially at higher doses, and Health Canada has flagged that stopping it abruptly or tapering it can trigger anxiety, insomnia or a return of mental health symptoms in some women. Because of this, guidance generally says to first make sure feeding technique, frequency, and any underlying maternal or infant issues are addressed, and to only consider medication with your doctor's guidance if supply is still a problem afterward.

If you're worried about your supply, it's worth talking to your doctor or a lactation consultant first — they can check for correctable causes before considering medication, and can weigh the modest possible benefit against the known risks for your situation.

Sources

✓Reviewed by CH, MD, FRCPC

Reviewed by a specialist physician certified by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, who has read this answer against the sources listed above and confirmed it reflects them. That is not medical advice about your child. How we review

Answer checked July 29, 2026

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