The need for adjustment of dosage regimen of penicillin V during pregnancy
Heikkilä, A.M.; Erkkola, R.U.
Obstetrics and Gynecology 81(6): 919-921
1993
ISSN/ISBN: 0029-7844 PMID: 8497356 Document Number: 418309
Objective: To determine whether the normal regimen of dosage of oral penicillin V is relevant during pregnancy. Methods: Twelve pregnant and six nonpregnant women volunteered for the study. Six women were in the second trimester of pregnancy (mean +- standard deviation 19 +- 7 weeks' gestation) and six women were in the third trimester (35 +- 2 weeks). All of the women took 1 times 10-6 phenoxymethylpenicillin orally, and multiple blood and urine samples were obtained. Assays were performed by means of a disk agar diffusion method. The results were compared by Mann-Whitney U test. Results: Compared with nonpregnant women, pregnant women had smaller area under the curve values (433 +- 93 minutes cntdot IU/mL, P lt .05 in the second trimester; 550 +- 220 minutes cntdot IU/mL in the third trimester) and a shorter half-life (57 +- 56 minutes in the second trimester; 34 +- 21 minutes, P lt .05 in the third trimester). Plasma and renal clearances were faster in the pregnant women. Conclusion: Elimination of penicillin V is enhanced during pregnancy, necessitating either a shorter dosing interval (6-8 hours) or an increased dose with the standard dosing interval.