Reverse tolerance

Reverse tolerance or drug sensitization is a pharmacological concept describing the increased reaction to a drug following its repeated use. Unlike tolerance, which denotes a diminished response to repeated drug exposure, reverse tolerance is characterized by an enhanced response to the same amount of substance.

Pronunciation

/rɪˈvɜːs ˈtɒlərəns/

Etymology

The term "reverse tolerance" is derived from the English words "reverse", meaning opposite or contrary in direction, and "tolerance", which in pharmacology refers to the reduced response to a drug after repeated use. The concept is thus named to indicate an opposite reaction to the drug compared to the expected tolerance.

Definition

Reverse tolerance, also known as drug sensitization, is a condition where the effect of a drug becomes stronger with each subsequent use, despite the dosage remaining the same. This is the opposite of tolerance, where the effect of a drug diminishes over time with repeated use.

Related Terms

Tolerance: A state of adaptation in which exposure to a drug induces changes that result in a diminution of one or more of the drug's effects over time.
Pharmacology: The branch of medicine concerned with the uses, effects, and modes of action of drugs.
Drug sensitization: An increased response to a drug following its repeated use, synonymous with reverse tolerance.
Pharmacodynamics: The study of the biochemical and physiological effects of drugs and their mechanisms of action.

External links

Medical encyclopedia article on Reverse tolerance
Wikipedia's article - Reverse tolerance

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Reverse tolerance