Maria New's office, I believe, wants blood drawn 2 hrs after the morning dose. This will show, theoretically, how well the adrenals are being suppressed on the *current* dosage. This helps to determine whether or not the dosage should be adjusted. She also takes a few other readings, not just the 17-OHP. Blood drawn before meds would potentially show that the child needs cortisol....but it wouldn't be a good indicator of how well his/her current dosage is working for them. However, different people have different theories....gotta do what works for you.....go with what your research/your endo tells you...then add your intuition.