Psychopharmacology
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Analgesic efficacy of opioids and dosing protocol have been shown to influence analgesic tolerance. ⋯ Taken together, intermittent and acute opioid agonist administration produces minimal tolerance compared to continuous infusion. Furthermore, there is an inverse relationship between analgesic efficacy and tolerance following continuous infusion. These results suggest that opioid analgesic tolerance may be increased when sustained release dosing formulations or continuous infusions are employed clinically.