In medicine, there are many different terms that are often incomprehensible to the average person. One of these terms is tachyphylaxis. Perhaps you once heard from doctors and you have a question, what does it mean. In this article we will try to answer it and some others that are no less interesting and important for general development and erudition.
Quick reference
Tachyphylaxis is a rather specific reaction of the human body with repeated administration of a medication. It consists in a sharp decrease in the effectiveness of its impact. The main feature of tachyphylaxis is the need to significantly increase the dosage, which can lead to further dependence on the drug. One of the substances that may be susceptible to this phenomenon are ephedrine and morphine, as well as derivatives thereof. In another way, this phenomenon is called tolerance.
Tolerance. What does it mean?
A general interpretation of this term implies a general habituation of an organism to an active substance. However, in medicine this concept is divided into two others, which have a narrower focus.
Immunological tolerance is the lack of the body's ability to synthesize a special kind of antibody, necessary to respond to external antigens. In simple terms, this is something that can interfere with organ transplants and various kinds of tissues, including blood transfusion.
Pharmacological and narcological tolerance is just the concept that coincides with the term we already know. Tachyphylaxis is a phenomenon in which the repeated action of a substance on the body is much less than expected.
There is also such a thing as reverse tolerance. It implies a reverse effect of the drug, namely its cumulative effect. So, with a course of treatment, the patient requires a smaller and smaller dosage to achieve a therapeutic effect.