Loading dose意思

"Loading dose" is a term used in pharmacology and medicine to describe the initial dose of a medication that is intended to achieve a therapeutic concentration of the drug in the body more quickly than would be possible with a single standard dose. The purpose of a loading dose is to "load" the body with the drug, so that the desired effect can be achieved faster.

For example, if a patient needs to be started on a medication that has a relatively long elimination half-life (the time it takes for the concentration of the drug in the body to decrease by half), a loading dose may be used to quickly reach the therapeutic level of the drug in the bloodstream. This can be particularly important in situations where the patient needs the drug to work quickly, such as in the treatment of an infection or a heart condition.

After the loading dose is administered, subsequent doses (known as maintenance doses) are typically lower than the loading dose and are given at regular intervals to maintain the therapeutic concentration of the drug in the body. The size of a loading dose and the timing of subsequent maintenance doses depend on the specific drug being used, the patient's condition, and other factors.