Intro

Question 1

What is Therapeutic Drug Monitoring?

Answer 1

Using assays to determine drug concentration in plasma and applying an effective and safe regimen

Question 2

Why is there variability in plasma concentration with a given dose in various patients?

Answer 2

Individual Pharmacokinetics
-Variation in Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism and Excretion
-Various disease states
-Drug interactions

Question 3

When would therapeutic drug monitoring be useful?

Answer 3

-good correlation between pharmacologic response and plasma concentration
-variation in plasma concentration from a given dose
-narrow therapeutic index
-the pharmacologic effects can not be assessed easily

Question 4

What would be situations where drug monitoring is not useful?

Answer 4

-no well-defined therapeutic concentration range
-Active metabolites complicate drug concentration data (unless they are also considered)
-toxic effects at a low drug concentration
-no significant consequences with high or low doses