A NOTE ON BEHAVIORAL TOLERANCE TO MEPROBAMATE.

One cat got meprobamate every day for weeks. The drug usually slows animals down.

The cat worked on a fixed-interval schedule. It had to wait, then press a lever for food.

Researchers watched if the cat's behavior changed even when the drug was still in its body.

The cat's response rate returned to normal while the drug stayed in the blood.

Tolerance happened even though the cat was not working during the first drug days.

COLWINOGRAD (1965) also gave a calming drug to pigeons. That study showed chlorpromazine restored responses lost to amphetamine. Both papers show drugs can change, then restore, operant behavior.

Valentine et al. (1981) tested another sedative, chlordiazepoxide. It let punished pigeons peck again. HERRICK (1965) shows tolerance can form without practice, but O et al. shows the drug still alters behavior when first given.

Together, these studies warn that sedatives may look ineffective at first, then appear to stop working as tolerance grows.

If you track response-rate changes while a client takes sedating medication, do not assume early drops mean the dose is wrong. Tolerance can develop quietly, even without daily practice of the target skill. Watch for recovery of baseline rates and document blood levels if possible. This guards against unnecessary dose hikes that could risk side effects or mask true behavioral progress.