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

Definition

Therapeutic 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.