Therapeutic, Toxic and Lethal Ranges
Definition
Plasma concentration ranges that guide interpretation, derived from population studies and case reports. They are guidelines, not absolutes. Tolerance, idiosyncratic response, polypharmacy and post-mortem redistribution can shift the boundaries substantially in any individual case.
Related terms
- 6-Monoacetylmorphine (6-MAM)
- A transient diagnostic metabolite of heroin (diacetylmorphine) formed by the rapid hydrolysis of one acetyl group. Half-life is 6 to 25 minutes...
- Benzoylecgonine (BE)
- The major hydrolysis metabolite of cocaine, formed by carboxylesterase action on the methyl ester of cocaine. Half-life is around 6 hours in...
- Phase I Metabolism
- Functionalisation reactions (oxidation, reduction, hydrolysis) that introduce or expose a polar group on the drug molecule, mostly catalysed by cytochrome P450 isoenzymes...
- Phase II Metabolism
- Conjugation reactions (glucuronidation, sulphation, glutathione conjugation, acetylation, methylation, glycine conjugation) that attach a polar endogenous group to the drug or its Phase...
- Post-Mortem Redistribution (PMR)
- The phenomenon where drug and poison concentrations shift between body compartments after death, generally moving out of solid organs back into the...
- Volume of Distribution (Vd)
- The apparent volume in which a drug is distributed in the body, calculated as dose divided by plasma concentration at time zero....
Explained in
- Drug Metabolism, Distribution and Metabolite IdentificationPlasma concentration ranges that guide interpretation, derived from population studies and case reports. They are guidelines, not absolutes. Tolerance, idiosyn...