Which term best describes the situation in which a sleep medication taken with alcohol results in a greater effect than either substance alone?

• A. Antagonistic effect
• B. Tolerance
• C. Withdrawal
• D. Synergistic effect

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Understand the key terms involved in the problem. 'Antagonistic effect' refers to when two substances reduce each other's effects, 'Tolerance' is when repeated use of a substance reduces its effect, and 'Withdrawal' involves symptoms after stopping a substance.
2. Step 2: Recognize that the problem describes a situation where the combined effect of two substances (sleep medication and alcohol) is greater than the effect of each substance alone.
3. Step 3: Identify that when two substances produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their individual effects, this is called a 'Synergistic effect'.
4. Step 4: Contrast this with an 'Antagonistic effect', where the combined effect would be less than the sum of individual effects, which does not fit the problem description.
5. Step 5: Conclude that the term 'Synergistic effect' best describes the situation where the combination of sleep medication and alcohol results in a greater effect than either alone.