Lavdosis

Lavdosis is a term used in pharmacology and medicine to denote a dose of a substance that is intentionally lower than the standard therapeutic dose. The purpose is to reduce the risk of adverse effects and drug interactions while maintaining a beneficial effect for certain patients or conditions. The concept is applied across treatments, including chronic disease management, pain control, and preventive medicine, as well as in radiological and research settings where minimizing exposure is desirable.

In clinical practice, determining a lavdosis involves consideration of factors such as age, body weight, organ function (especially liver and kidney), concomitant medications, and the severity of the condition. It may be used as an initial starting dose in a dose-escalation strategy, to mitigate tolerability issues, or in populations with increased sensitivity, such as the elderly or those with comorbidities. If the intended effect is not achieved, clinicians may gradually increase the dose (titration) to reach an effective level, or switch to alternative therapies.

Risks of lavdosis include insufficient therapeutic effect, leading to undertreatment, disease progression, or need for higher doses later, and delayed recognition of inadequate response. Documentation and monitoring are essential to balance efficacy and safety.

Etymology: lavdosis comes from Swedish 'lav' (low) and 'dosis' (dose). The term is used in several European languages with similar spelling.