Albumin: what it treats, how it is given, side effects
Last updated September 7, 2026.
**Albumin (human) is a sterile protein solution made from donated human plasma, used as a plasma volume expander and colloid given through an IV.** Albumin is the main protein that holds fluid inside your blood vessels, so infusing it pulls water back into the bloodstream and raises circulating volume and blood pressure. It is given only by a nurse or doctor in a hospital, infusion center, or dialysis unit, never at home by mouth. The main safety point is fluid overload: because albumin draws water into the circulation fast, it can strain the heart and lungs, so people with heart failure, severe anemia, or kidney failure need slower rates and close monitoring.
What does it treat?
Albumin is used to restore blood volume and support blood pressure when someone has lost fluid or plasma, such as shock from bleeding, trauma, surgery, or sepsis, and for plasma volume support during and after major surgery or cardiopulmonary bypass. It is a standard treatment after large-volume paracentesis in people with cirrhosis and ascites, and it is used with antibiotics in spontaneous bacterial peritonitis to protect kidney function, and in hepatorenal syndrome. Other uses include burns after the first 24 hours, low albumin from liver disease, nephrotic syndrome, or malnutrition when swelling and fluid buildup are not responding to other measures, low blood pressure during hemodialysis, plasma exchange replacement fluid, and neonatal hyperbilirubinemia before an exchange transfusion. It comes as Albumin (Human) 5% and 25% under brand names including Albuminex, Albutein, Alburx, Albuked, Flexbumin, Kedbumin, and Plasbumin. It is not a nutritional supplement and does not treat protein malnutrition on its own.
How do you take it?
Albumin comes as a 5% solution, which has about the same protein concentration as plasma and is used mainly for volume replacement, and a 25% solution, which is concentrated and pulls fluid in from the tissues. Both are given by IV infusion only. For low blood volume in adults, a typical starting dose is 250 to 500 mL of 5% or 50 to 100 mL of 25% (12.5 to 25 g), repeated based on blood pressure, pulse, and urine output; the label advises not exceeding 250 g in 48 hours. After large-volume paracentesis, clinicians commonly give 6 to 8 g of albumin for each liter of ascitic fluid removed. Infusion rate matters more than the number of grams: in people with normal blood volume, 5% is usually infused no faster than 2 to 4 mL per minute and 25% no faster than 1 mL per minute, and slower in older adults or anyone with heart or kidney disease. There are no food rules and no missed-dose rule, because each dose is scheduled and given by your care team; if you miss an appointment where albumin was planned, call the clinic to reschedule rather than waiting. Tell the nurse right away and the infusion will be stopped if you get short of breath, start coughing or wheezing, feel your chest tighten, develop hives or itching, or feel lightheaded or flushed during the infusion.
Side effects to know
- Common: Most people have no side effects, though some notice mild flushing, hives or itching, nausea, chills, a low fever, or a headache during or shortly after the infusion.
- Serious: Get help immediately for signs of an allergic reaction such as hives, swelling of the lips, tongue, or throat, wheezing, or a sudden drop in blood pressure, and for fluid overload signs such as new shortness of breath, coughing up frothy or pink sputum, rapid weight gain, or swelling in the legs, which can mean pulmonary edema. Rarely albumin causes a sharp drop in blood pressure during infusion or, in people with cirrhosis, worsening confusion or bleeding as circulating volume shifts.
Who should not take it?
Albumin should not be given if you have had an allergic reaction to albumin before, and the label lists severe anemia and heart failure as contraindications because the added volume can overwhelm the heart. Talk with your care team first if you have heart failure or coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, kidney disease or are on dialysis, esophageal varices, lung congestion, or a condition that causes ongoing swelling, and tell them if you are dehydrated, since 25% albumin needs extra IV fluids in that setting. Albumin has no known drug interactions in the usual sense, but it should not be mixed in the same line with protein hydrolysates, amino acid solutions, or alcohol-containing solutions, and it can dilute clotting factors and red cells when large volumes are given, so your team may check hemoglobin, electrolytes, and clotting tests. Albumin is made from human plasma, so it carries a theoretical risk of transmitting infectious agents; donors are screened and the manufacturing process includes viral inactivation steps. There is no data showing harm in pregnancy or breastfeeding, and albumin is used in pregnant patients when the clinical need is clear, including in preeclampsia and after paracentesis, so tell your clinician if you are pregnant or nursing. Alcohol does not interact with albumin directly, but if your low albumin comes from liver disease, continuing to drink will keep the underlying problem going and make repeat infusions more likely.
When is it an emergency?
Call 911 if you have trouble breathing, chest tightness, swelling of the face, lips, tongue, or throat, hives spreading over your body, fainting or collapse, or if you cough up pink frothy fluid, which can mean fluid has backed up into your lungs. Call 911 as well for a sudden severe headache, confusion, slurred speech, or seizures after an infusion. Too much albumin, or albumin given too fast, causes an overloaded circulation: rising blood pressure, a pounding pulse, distended neck veins, breathlessness when lying flat, and rapid weight gain, and it needs urgent treatment, often with a diuretic and stopping the infusion. Since albumin is given by IV under supervision, accidental swallowing or a home overdose is not a realistic scenario, but if any medication is taken in the wrong amount, call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 for advice, and call 911 for collapse or trouble breathing.
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Common questions
What is the maximum amount of albumin I can get?
The labeling advises not exceeding 250 grams of albumin in 48 hours. In practice you get far less than that. A common single adult dose is 250 to 500 mL of the 5% solution or 50 to 100 mL of the 25% solution, which is 12.5 to 25 grams. After a large-volume paracentesis, the dose is calculated from the fluid removed, usually 6 to 8 grams per liter. Your team repeats doses based on your blood pressure, pulse, urine output, and lab results rather than a fixed schedule.
Can I drink alcohol while getting albumin?
Alcohol does not interact with albumin itself, and albumin-containing IV solutions are simply not mixed with alcohol-containing solutions in the same line. The real issue is why your albumin is low. If it is from cirrhosis, alcoholic hepatitis, or ascites, drinking keeps damaging the liver that makes albumin, so levels stay low and fluid keeps coming back. In that case the recommendation is to stop drinking completely, and your clinician can help with withdrawal symptoms and medication options if stopping is hard.
Is albumin safe during pregnancy or breastfeeding?
Albumin is a normal human blood protein, and there is no evidence that infused albumin harms a fetus or a nursing infant. Labeling notes that animal reproduction studies have not been done and that it should be given during pregnancy when clearly needed, which is the usual standard for plasma-derived products. It is used in pregnancy for volume support, for severe preeclampsia with low albumin, and after paracentesis. Tell your care team you are pregnant or breastfeeding so they can watch fluid balance and blood pressure more closely, since pregnancy already changes both.
Do I need to eat or avoid certain foods with albumin?
No. Albumin goes directly into a vein, so food, timing, and an empty or full stomach make no difference to how it works. You can eat and drink normally before and after your infusion unless another part of your procedure requires fasting. Eating protein does not replace an albumin infusion, and infused albumin does not meet your nutritional protein needs. If low albumin is tied to poor intake, your clinician will address nutrition separately, often with dietitian input.
What are the signs I have been given too much albumin?
Too much albumin, or albumin infused too quickly, overloads your circulation. Warning signs are shortness of breath, especially lying flat, coughing or wheezing, pink frothy sputum, a pounding pulse, rising blood pressure, neck vein fullness, new leg swelling, and weight gain over a day or two. Tell your nurse immediately if these start during the infusion, since stopping it is the first step. Treatment usually includes slowing or stopping albumin and giving a diuretic. Call 911 for severe breathing trouble or collapse, and call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 for questions about any medication taken in the wrong amount.
Does albumin interact with my other medications?
Albumin has no classic drug interactions the way pills do, and you do not need to stop your usual medications for an infusion. The cautions are practical ones: albumin should not be mixed in the same IV line with protein hydrolysates, amino acid solutions, or alcohol-containing solutions, because that can cause the proteins to clump. Large volumes can dilute red blood cells and clotting factors, so your team may check hemoglobin, electrolytes, and clotting tests. If you take a diuretic like furosemide or spironolactone, or blood pressure medication, expect your doses to be reviewed, since albumin changes your fluid balance.