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Pharmacy & Pharmacology vocabulary · Prescriptions and Dosing

Maintenance dose

Meaning in pharmacy & pharmacology, with examples

nounCommon term

In pharmacy & pharmacology, maintenance dose means: The regular dose given after the start of treatment to keep the drug at a steady, effective level in the body over time.

In Turkish: idame dozu

How it is used

Often contrasted with the loading dose. It may be adjusted according to the patient's response, blood levels or kidney function. 'Maintenance therapy' describes long-term treatment that keeps a condition under control, such as a preventer inhaler in asthma.

Example sentences

  1. After the loading dose, she'll continue on a lower maintenance dose.

  2. The maintenance dose was reduced because his kidney function had got worse.

Common collocations

  • usual maintenance dose
  • adjust the maintenance dose
  • daily maintenance dose
  • maintenance therapy
  • loading doseA larger first dose, or a few larger doses, given at the start of treatment to bring the drug quickly to an effective level in the blood.
  • doseThe amount of a medicine taken or given at one time, such as one tablet, two puffs of an inhaler or 5 millilitres of a liquid.
  • steady stateThe point during regular dosing when the amount of drug entering the body equals the amount being removed, so blood levels stay within a stable range.
  • dosageHow much of a medicine to take, how often and for how long, for example two tablets three times a day for five days.

More terms: Prescriptions and Dosing

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.