MEDICAL TREATMENT OF SEIZURES: COMMON QUESTIONS ABOUT BLOOD LEVELS – “MY CHILD’S BLOOD LEVEL OF HIS MEDICATION IS LOW. WHY?”
There are several possible reasons, perhaps the most common that the child is not on a high enough dose, a second that she is not receiving enough medication or is not taking the medicine. Non-compliance is a common reason for a low blood level, particularly among adolescents. Occasionally also an individual absorbs medicine poorly and must take more to achieve the same blood level. Rarely, an individual metabolizes the drug more rapidly than average and, therefore, has a low level. Whatever the reason, increasing the dose should help to determine the answer. If the person is taking the drug erratically or not at all, then prescribing more will usually have little or no effect. If the dose prescribed is too low, a higher dose should correct the problem, as it will do if the patient absorbs poorly or metabolizes rapidly.
Your child does not necessarily need a blood level test every time he visits the doctor!
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