Therapeutic Drug Levels
Alternate Names : Acetaminophen - Serum, Amikacin - Serum, Aminophylline - Serum, Amitriptyline - Serum, Carbamazepine - Serum, Chloramphenicol - Serum, Desipramine - Serum, Digitoxin - Serum, Digoxin - Serum, Disopyramide - Serum, Ethosuximide - Serum, Flecainide - Serum, Gentamicin - Serum, Imipramine - Serum, Kanamycin - Serum, Lidocaine - Serum, Lithium - Serum, Methotrexate - Serum, Nortriptyline - Serum, Phenobarbital - Serum, Phenytoin - Serum, Primidone - Serum, Procainamide - Serum, Propranolol - Serum, Quinidine - Serum, Salicylate - Serum, Serum Drug Levels, TDM, Theophylline - Serum, Therapeutic Drug Monitoring, Tobramycin - Serum, Valproic Acid - Serum
DefinitionTherapeutic drug level tests are usually performed to look for the presence and the amount of specific drugs in the blood.
With most medications, you need a certain level of drug in the blood stream to obtain the desired effect. Some medications are toxic if the level rises too high and are ineffective if the levels are too low. Monitoring serum drug levels enables your health care provider to ensure that your drug levels are within an effective range.
Why is the Test Performed?
Testing involves taking multiple measurements of blood levels of a drug over time. The main purpose is to determine the effective drug dosages and to prevent toxicity. Drug level testing is especially important in people taking drugs such as:
- Procainamide or digoxin used to treat abnormal beating of the heart
- Dilantin or valproic acid used to treat seizures
- Gentamicin or amikacin, antibiotics used to treat infections
Often, these are drugs where the margin of safety between therapeutic levels and toxic levels is narrow. Testing may also be done to determine absorption, rate of metabolism, or interaction with other necessary drugs.
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