Researchers looked at how monitoring the concentration of sertraline in the blood, known as therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM), affects people with depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder. They reviewed data from 1,106 individuals across all age groups to see if these blood levels helped doctors make better treatment decisions.
The review found that most studies did not show a clear link between specific blood concentrations and how well the medicine worked or how well it was tolerated. However, some preliminary evidence suggested that certain non-linear relationships might exist between drug levels and patient outcomes. Because these findings are early and inconsistent, they are not yet enough to change standard medical practices.
Because the studies were very different from one another, the results remain uncertain. While TDM might eventually help doctors guide their judgment for specific groups of people, there is currently not enough evidence to recommend it as a general tool for everyone taking sertraline.
