Pay Attention to the Dosage When Taking Medication
Many patients have a bad habit of not paying attention to the dosage when taking medication. They drink a sip of cough syrup when they have a cough, or swallow a few pills when they have a cold. This habit is not good. It is important to know that dosage refers to the amount of medication taken, and the optimal dosage range for each medication is determined through repeated practice and research by experts.
Within a certain range, the size of the medication dosage and its concentration in the body are directly proportional to the intensity of the medication's effects. An overdose can cause poisoning, while a too small dosage cannot exert its therapeutic effect. The dosage stated in the instructions is the optimal amount needed to treat the disease.
Usually, the minimum dosage that produces therapeutic effects is referred to as the "minimum effective dose." The maximum dosage that the body can tolerate without causing poisoning is called the "maximum dose," which represents the limit of safe medication. Dosages that exceed the maximum dose and cause qualitative changes, poisoning, or death in patients are respectively referred to as "toxic dose" and "lethal dose." The "usual dose" is the most appropriate therapeutic dose for most people, between the minimum effective dose and the maximum dose.
There are significant individual differences among people, and the usual dose is not necessarily the most appropriate dosage for everyone. Some people are particularly sensitive to certain medications, while others are not. This phenomenon is similar to the different tolerance levels to ethanol when drinking alcohol. Therefore, when using medications at home, it is necessary to consult a doctor in advance and adjust the dosage accordingly based on the patient's past performance.
The current definition of the usual dose refers to the average dosage taken by patients aged 16-60. The dosage for elderly people, pregnant women, children, and those with impaired liver or kidney function should be appropriately reduced. In order to select the appropriate dosage, it is important to observe the patient's reaction after taking the medication, such as blood pressure, heart rate, facial color, and expression, which serves as a basis for determining the safety of the dosage.
