In medicine, there are many different terms that are often incomprehensible to the average person. One such term is tachyphylaxis. Perhaps you once heard it 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 the overall development and erudition.
Quick reference
Tachyphylaxis is a rather specific reaction of the human body when a drug is taken repeatedly. 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 affected by this phenomenon are ephedrine and morphine, as well as compounds derived from them. In another way, this phenomenon is called tolerance.
Tolerance. What does this mean?
The general interpretation of this term meansis a general habituation of the body to the active substance. However, in medicine, this concept is divided into two others, which have a narrower focus.
Immunological tolerance is the inability of the body to synthesize a specific type of antibody needed to respond to external antigens. In simple terms, this is what can interfere with organ transplants and various types of tissues, including blood transfusions.
Pharmacological and drug tolerance is exactly the concept that coincides with the term we already know. Tachyphylaxis is a phenomenon in which the repeated effect of a substance on the body is significantly less than expected.
There is also such a thing as reverse tolerance. It implies the opposite effect of the drug, namely, its cumulative effect. Thus, during the course of treatment, the patient needs less and less dosage to achieve a therapeutic effect.