Your patient, a known alcoholic, has developed a cardiac arrhythmia that you intend to treat with synchronized cardioversion. Because he is awake, you decide to administer diazepam to ease this experience. However, you find that to induce the desired state you must administer more than twice the normal dose of diazepam. This condition is known as:
A) cumulative effect.
B) cross tolerance.
C) tachyphylaxis.
D) idiosyncrasy.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Cross tolerance occurs when tolerance to one drug results in tolerance to another drug within the same class or with a similar mechanism of action. In this case, the patient's history of alcohol use has likely led to an increased tolerance to sedatives like diazepam, requiring a higher dose to achieve the desired effect.

Your Patient, a Known Alcoholic, Has Developed a Cardiac Arrhythmia