Dose (Dose)

Dose is an important concept in medicine and pharmacology. It is a carefully selected amount of a medicinal substance that is prescribed by a doctor for one-time use by the patient. The dose can be expressed in various units such as milligrams, micrograms, milliliters, etc. It can be taken orally, intravenously or externally.

Determining the dose is an important step in the treatment process, since an insufficient dose may not provide the desired effect, and an excessive dose can lead to side effects and even lead to toxic effects on the body. Therefore, the doctor must take into account many factors, such as the patient’s age and weight, his state of health, the presence of other diseases and medications taken.

The median effective dose (ED50) is the dose of a drug that produces the desired effect in 50% of people tested. This means that half of the patients will get the desired effect at this dose, and the other half will not. ED50 assessment is carried out during clinical trials, which evaluate the effectiveness and safety of new drugs.

However, it should be noted that the effective dose may vary between patients, depending on their individual characteristics. Therefore, the doctor should monitor the effect of the medicine and adjust the dose if necessary.

There is also the concept of LD50, which represents the dose of a drug at which 50% of the animals tested die. This concept is used in toxicology to evaluate the toxicity of drugs and other chemicals.

In general, dose is an important concept in medicine and pharmacology, and its correct determination and control are key factors for the effective treatment of patients.

A dose is a carefully selected, adjusted amount of a medicinal substance prescribed by the attending physician to a patient for a one-time dose. The dose is considered effective average (Ez) when the desired effect is achieved in about 50% of patients. Of practical importance is dosing at an average effective dose of 50% - LD effect or ED. In toxicology, determination of the ED dose (ED50) is most often used to quantify the body's resistance to poison. For example, when determining the LD50 of a poison in an animal’s body, they record what amount of a dose of a chemical substance causes the death of a given group of animals (as a percentage). The LD 50 of a poison determined in this way is the ED50, i.e. the most toxically effective dose. Doses also vary depending on the period during which they were prescribed. In psychiatry

The dose for each patient is a strictly individual indicator, which is selected individually. This is the amount of medicine needed to produce the desired effect of treatment.

The dose is selected according to the patient’s health status, age, weight, as well as existing diseases and other individual characteristics. In some cases, the dose may depend on the intensity of the disease, the complexity of its course and possible risks.

Typically, the dose is adjusted over the course of therapy, as the healing process may progress differently and the dose may vary to achieve optimal results. Most often in medicine, doses are used in the form of tablets, capsules or solutions - these are standard formats that are convenient for long-term use. In addition, there are more complex methods of administering drugs - these can be intravenous infusions, inhalations and other delivery methods.

The high effectiveness of treatment is achieved due to the fact that each drug has its own individual dose, which varies for different groups of patients and is prescribed by the doctor separately.

Each medicine has its own maximum therapeutic dose: the one, exceeding which can lead to side effects.