Ceiling
Ceiling (medicine)
Ceiling (pronounced: /ˈsiːlɪŋ/) is a term used in pharmacology to describe the maximum biological response that can be achieved with a drug. The concept is often applied to drugs such as opioids and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).
Etymology
The term 'ceiling' is derived from the architectural term, which refers to the upper limit of a room. In a medical context, it refers to the upper limit of a drug's effectiveness.
Definition
In pharmacology, the 'ceiling effect' refers to the phenomenon where increasing the dose of a drug does not increase its therapeutic effect after a certain point. Once the ceiling effect is reached, further increases in dosage will not result in increased efficacy, but may increase the risk of side effects and toxicity.
Related Terms
- Dose-response relationship: The relationship between the dose of a drug and the body's response to it.
- Therapeutic index: The ratio of the toxic dose to the therapeutic dose of a drug.
- Potency (pharmacology): The amount of a drug needed to produce a certain effect.
- Efficacy (pharmacology): The maximum response achievable from a drug.
See Also
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Ceiling
- Wikipedia's article - Ceiling
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