The serum level approach to individualization of drug dosage

The importance of individualizing the dosage of potent drugs in order to maximize their therapeutic effectiveness and safety is generally accepted. Whenever possible the dosage of a drug should be "titrated" directly in each patient against the intensity of its therapeutic or toxic actions. Unfortunately, for many drugs convenient clinical yardsticks of the intensity of their pharmacologic effects are lacking. Determination of the serum concentration of such compounds can help to guide adjustment of dosage during their therapeutic use. By measuring the serum level of drugs one bypasses the largest source of individual differences in dose-effect relationships-the pharmacokinetic variation between subjects. However, the relationship between the serum concentration of a drug and the intensity of its pharmacodynamic action is influenced by many other factors, which must always be considered in interpretation of serum levels. Therapeutic decisions should never be based soley on the serum concentration of a compound, nor can such measurements ever substitute for careful medical observation and judgement.