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Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine logoLink to Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine
. 1981 Jun;74(6):422–426. doi: 10.1177/014107688107400606

Altered drug binding to serum proteins in pregnant women: therapeutic relevance.

E Perucca, M Ruprah, A Richens
PMCID: PMC1438765  PMID: 6788952

Abstract

The binding of diazepam, phenytoin and valproic acid to serum proteins in vitro has been compared in pregnant women of different gestational ages and in controls. The unbound fraction of each of three drugs was elevated during pregnancy (particularly during the last 8 weeks) probably due, at least in part, to a fall in serum albumin concentration. These findings may provide a partial explanation for the increase in the clearance of certain drugs during pregnancy and need to be taken into account when interpreting serum drug levels in clinical practice.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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