Blood drug testing should be part of any well-rounded therapeutic medication monitoring protocol. It provides a snapshot of drugs present in blood at the time it is drawn and is an important tool in assessing not only if patients are taking their prescribed medications, but also if they are taking them at the prescribed dose.

Because of its relatively short detection window, blood testing is not ideal for routine screening but is very effective for patients taking a medication regularly to determine if they are in steady state range. It is useful for clinicians who treat patients on chronic opioid therapy for pain management and can be used as a supplement to other testing methods for providers who treat patients with substance use disorder to gain a different perspective on their patient’s adherence to their medication regimen.

Blood testing can also indicate potential metabolic issues. If a patient is not within the expected steady state range, it may be an expression of a genetic metabolism issue. Blood testing results outside the steady state range can be reflexed to pharmacogenetic testing at the authorized clinician’s request.