What Types of medicines will need to be taken more frequently ensure its blood concentration falls within the therapeutic range?
Narrow Therapeutic Index Drugs (NTID)
These drugs have a small difference between the minimal therapeutic and minimal toxic concentrations in the blood.
This means that a small increase in the dose can lead to toxic effects, while a small decrease can lead to therapeutic failure.
NTIDs include:
- Warfarin (Coumadin)
- Phenytoin (Dilantin)
- Digoxin (Lanoxin)
Drugs with concentration-dependent toxicity
The toxicity of these drugs increases with their blood concentration, and there is no well-defined therapeutic range.
Examples of such drugs include:
- Aminoglycosides (streptomycin, gentamicin, tobramycin)
- Vancomycin
- Lithium
