Developmental pharmacology

Therapeutic drug monitoring, or TDM for short, refers to the individualized dosing of drugs while monitoring the concentration of the active ingredient in the blood or blood plasma, and occasionally also in the cerebrospinal fluid or sputum.

Our study on Therapeutic Drug Monitoring (TDM) aims to maximize the safety of psychopharmacology in young patients. In the future, TDM in combination with other methods may also contribute to a personalized approach in psychiatry.

Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) is a branch of clinical pharmacology that uses biosampling and analytical methods to quantify drug concentrations and their metabolites in a patient's blood plasma, serum or other body fluids. In clinical practice, this typically involves measuring the steady-state drug concentration (i.e. the balance between the dose rate and the elimination rate) and correlating it with relevant parameters such as clinical efficacy or side effects. TDM aims to optimize therapy, individualize dosing, minimize unwanted side effects and monitor compliance.