Because there is little published experience with ketoconazole or levoketoconazole during breastfeeding and its potential liver enzyme inhibition and liver toxicity, other agents are preferred. The manufacturers recommend that mothers taking ketoconazole or levoketoconazole avoid breastfeeding during treatment and for 1 day after the last dose.
Use of ketoconazole shampoo or topical use on the skin by the mother poses little to no risk to the breastfed infant.[1,2] However, topical use on the breast or nipples should be avoided in nursing mothers because of possible oral ingestion by the infant and the availability of safer alternatives. Only water-miscible cream or gel products should be applied to the breast because ointments may expose the infant to high levels of mineral paraffins via licking.[3]