Drug Tolerance, Dependence And Addiction, Why Does It Occur?
Drug tolerance, dependence and addiction are increasingly frequent phenomena. Although many times they are linked, they do not mean the same thing. We explain their differences to you.
Medicines are substances that are used and prescribed to treat conditions. There are different types, since they can serve many purposes and exercise variable mechanisms of action.
The problem is that all of them are associated with a series of adverse effects. Today, the terms “tolerance”, “dependence” and “addiction” are increasingly used and concern about these phenomena grows.
However, it is essential to know the difference between all these phenomena. Although it is true that, many times, they go hand in hand, the repercussion is different in each one. The same is true of your treatment.
What is drug tolerance?
Drug tolerance is defined as a decrease in sensitivity to a drug after it has been administered continuously. That is, it consists in that with the same dose, the drug produces less and less effects.
As the Merck Manual explains, tolerance is developed by two phenomena. The first is that the metabolism of the drug is accelerated. That is, it degrades faster and faster in the body, so its effect is reduced.
The second phenomenon is that both the binding strength and the number of binding of the drug to its respective receptor decrease. Each drug needs to bind to a specific one in cells in order to exert its effect.
Drug tolerance is a very common phenomenon. It seems that genetics are involved in its development. It is not necessary for a person to be exposed for very long. In fact, there are drugs capable of developing tolerance after few administrations.
When tolerance appears, it is usually necessary to modify the dose of the medications to achieve the desired effect. It can also be replaced by a different one. This phenomenon is a problem.
People with chronic pain are often impaired by tolerance to pain relievers. It also occurs in some diseases related to mental health or the immune system.
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