Toxicology/Therapeutic Drug Monitoring Flashcards
Testing Methodology
- Immunoassay
- Thin-Layer Chromotography
- HPLC
- Gas Chromotography-Mass Spectrophotometry
Specimen Collection in Therapeutic Drug Monitoring
Steady State must be reached before monitoring can begin, which takes around 5 1/2 half lives
Usually drawn during a trough state
Therapeutic Drug Monitoring Testing Methods
Immunoassays, HPLC and GC (measure parent drug and metabolites)
Therapeutic Drug Metabolism
Most metabolized in Liver and excreted in urine, meaning kidney and liver diseases affect drug levels
Aminoglycosides
- Inhibit protein synthesis, treat severe gram-neg bacterial infections
- Need to be monitored because they can cause kidney and hearing damage
- Administered via IV/IM due to poor GI absorption
- Poor tissue distribution
Antiarrhythmias/Cardioactive Drugs
- Digoxin
- Quinidine
- Procainamide
- Disopyramide
- Lidocaine
Digoxin
- When K+ is low or Mg+ is high, therapeutic levels can be toxic; overdoses can be treated with Digibind (antibody)
- Cardioactive inotropic for Congestive Heart Failure acts by inhibiting Na/K ATPase pump, decreasing intracellular K and increasing intracellular Ca giving improved Cardiac Contractions
- Metabolism: Need monitoring because absorption varies
- Measure Cp 8 hr after dose, due to slow tissue absorption
- Range: 0.8-20ng/mL
Quinidine
If the patient is already taking digoxin, the levels with this drug will increase
Procainamide
- Antiarrhythmic
- Block K outflow
- Major Active Metabolite, NAPA
- Slow and Fast Acetylators
Why do we monitor Drug Concentrations?
- Patient Compliance
- Dosage Adjustment
- Toxicity from Drug interactions
- Optimize Single Drug Therapy prior to introducing Multi-drug Therapy
- Confirm steady concentration while other drugs are added
Drug Concentration Dynamics depend on:
- Administration method
- Metabolic pathways
- Drug half-life
- Patient age/health
Drug administration routes
- IV
- IM
- Ointments/Topical
- Orally
- Buccal
- Sublingual
- Subcutaneous
- Inhaled
- Transdermal
- Intrathecal
- Enteral
- Parenteral
- Rectally
Buccal
Cheek, mouth
Intrathecal
Within spinal cord
Enteral
Through intestines
Parenteral
Any route other than enteral
Absorption
Usually through GI at steady rate
Liquids are absorbed more rapidly
Absorption in Circulation
Oscillate between maximum and minimum levels in blood, as the drug is distributed, absorbed, and eliminated.
Dependent on drugs pKa and pH
Free vs Bound Drugs
Free drugs interact with target sites and produce a response, and are best monitored by therapeutic and toxic effect
Other drugs or endogenous substances can compete for binding sites
Drug Metabolism
Biotransformation of parent drug to metabolite
Prodrugs
Parent compounds that must be metabolized to active form
Active Metabolites
Formed from parent drug and required measurement of prodrug and metabolite
First Pass Metabolism
90% of oral drugs absorbed in GI must go through Liver before entering circulation
Drug binding to protein
Most drugs circulate bound to plasma proteins
- Acidic drugs, bind to albumin
- Basic drugs, bind to alpha1-acid glycoprotein (AAG)
- Some can bind to both
Only free drug may interact with target sites and produce a response
Drug Metabolism in Body
Primarily in Liver and Kidney
Liver damage will slow metabolization
Kidney damage will excrete drugs more slowly
Drug metabolite activity in the body
Usually more water-soluble to be excreted by Kidney
Less active/toxic than parent compounds
Drug distribution in body
After travelling in blood, it can stay within bloodstream and enter extravascular fluids or migrate into tissues/organs
Two-compartment distribution may be between
- Plasma and Liver
- Plasma and Bone
- Plasma and Muscle
Drug Equilibrium Post-distribution
Plasma and Active metabolites are measured by total drug concen.
Total may differ between central and peripheral areas
Free drugs will have the same concentration whether at action site or another location
Elimination
Half-life, time required to reduce blood level by half
Mainly eliminated via:
- Hepatic: altered to metabolites and make them water-soluble
- Renal filtration: conjugated drugs excreted in urine or bile
Factors affecting drug function
- Lipemia
- Low albumin
- Uremia
- Other hydrophobic drugs
- CHF
- Liver Disease
- Kidney Disease
- GI malabsorption
- Age
Effect of Age on Drug Function
- Newborn, increased from immature Liver and slow metabolism
- Children, decreased from fast metabolism
- Elderly, increased from slow metabolism/elimination and drug/drug elimination
Steady State Drug Levels
Levels after single dose, from peak through trough
Minor drug level fluctuations, oscillation within a range
Dose Response Curve
- Timed intervals, to keep level from dropping below a concen. that has therapeutic benefits but is not toxic
- Loading Dose, helps to rapidly approach steady state
- Trough Levels, lowest level reached before next dose
- Peak Concentration, highest concen. reached after dosage within therapeutic range
First-Order Kinetics (Theraputic Drugs)
Rate of change in drug concen is dependent on initial concentration