Monitoring Patients on Maintenance Medications

Monitoring patients who are on many commonly prescribed medications is recommended for patient safety, especially among those who are long-term consumers. For medications such as ACE inhibitors, ARBs, digoxin, diuretics, and anticonvulsants, any patient over age 18 who has been on the medication for six months or longer should be tested annually.

• Patients prescribed ACE inhibitors, ARBs, digoxin, and diuretics should have a serum potassium test and a serum creatinine or BUN test.
• Patients prescribed anticonvulsants should receive a drug serum concentration monitoring test for each anticonvulsant drug prescribed.