Combined medication action stronger than the individual effects is called?

• A. Synergism
• B. Potentiation
• C. Tolerance
• D. Adulteration

Answer: (A)

When two medications produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their individual effects, that is synergy. It means the drugs complement each other so their overall impact is amplified beyond simple addition. This differs from potentiation, where a second drug intensifies the effect of the first even though the second might have little or no activity on its own. It’s also distinct from tolerance, which is a reduced response to a drug over time, and from adulteration, which is contamination. A practical example is analgesic pairing, such as acetaminophen with codeine, where the combination often yields better pain relief than either drug alone because they act through different mechanisms to reinforce the effect. In practice, recognizing synergy helps anticipate more powerful therapeutic responses as well as the need to monitor for heightened adverse effects when multiple agents are used together.