We often compare drugs in terms of their potency. Of what ...

[jasdeep_brar]

We often compare drugs in terms of their potency. Of what significance to therapeutics is the potency of a drug?
 
  What will be an ideal response?

Question 2

Assume that we have established a dose-response function for drowsiness induced by morphine and found that drowsiness occurred in 5 of people at 3 mg morphine, 20 at 6 mg morphine, 50 at 9 mg morphine, 85 at 12 mg morphine, and 100 at 15 mg morphine.
 
  We then find that three alcoholic beverages induce drowsiness in 5 of people. When we give different doses of morphine to people along with three alcoholic beverages, we find that now drowsiness occurs in 20 of people at 3 mg morphine, 50 of people at 6 mg morphine, 85 at 9 mg morphine, 100 at 12 mg morphine, and 100 at 15 mg morphine. What phenomenon are we most likely observing? Explain your answer.
  What will be an ideal response?

[amandanbreshears]

Answer to Question 1

Potency simply refers to the relative pharmacological activity of a compound or the relative ability of a drug to produce a given effect. The lower the dose (or more specifically blood concentration) necessary to produce that effect, the more potent the drug. However, unless differences in potency of two drugs are also accompanied by differences in efficacy or side effects (e.g., if a more potent drug induces fewer side effects than a less potent drug), or if the potency of a drug is so weak that it requires such large doses to be effective that it is inconvenient to administer (e.g., hard to swallow), differences in potency are not particularly relevant.

Answer to Question 2

Most likely this is addition because the 3 alcoholic beverages were able to induce drowsiness alonean effect comparable to 3 mg of morphine aloneand when combined with morphine the dose-response function for morphine shifted to the left and was parallel to the dose-response function established for morphine alone.