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General Drug Categories
Analgesics: Drugs that relieve pain. There
are two main types: non-narcotic analgesics for mild pain,
and narcotic analgesics for severe pain.
Antacids: Drugs that relieve indigestion and
heartburn by neutralizing stomach acid.
Antianxiety Drugs: Drugs that suppress
anxiety and relax muscles (sometimes called anxiolytics,
sedatives, or minor tranquilizers).
Antiarrhythmics: Drugs used to control
irregularities of heartbeat.
Antibacterials: Drugs used to treat
infections.
Antibiotics: Drugs made from naturally
occurring and synthetic substances that combat bacterial
infection. Some antibiotics are effective only against
limited types of bacteria. Others, known as broad spectrum
antibiotics, are effective against a wide range of bacteria.
Anticoagulants and Thrombolytics:
Anticoagulants prevent blood from clotting. Thrombolytics
help dissolve and disperse blood clots and may be prescribed
for patients with recent arterial or venous thrombosis.
Anticonvulsants: Drugs that prevent
epileptic seizures.
Antidepressants: There are three main groups of mood-lifting antidepressants: tricyclics, monoamine oxidase inhibitors, and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).
Antidiarrheals: Drugs used for the relief of
diarrhea. Two main types of antidiarrheal preparations are
simple adsorbent substances and drugs that slow down the
contractions of the bowel muscles so that the contents are
propelled more slowly.
Antiemetics: Drugs used to treat nausea and
vomiting.
Antifungals: Drugs used to treat fungal
infections, the most common of which affect the hair, skin,
nails, or mucous membranes.
Antihistamines: Drugs used primarily to
counteract the effects of histamine, one of the chemicals
involved in allergic reactions.
Antihypertensives: Drugs that lower blood
pressure. The types of antihypertensives currently marketed
include diuretics, beta-blockers, calcium channel blocker,
ACE (angiotensin- converting enzyme) inhibitors, centrally
acting antihypertensives and sympatholytics.
Anti-Inflammatories: Drugs used to reduce
inflammation - the redness, heat, swelling, and increased
blood flow found in infections and in many chronic
noninfective diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and gout.
Antineoplastics: Drugs used to treat cancer.
Antipsychotics: Drugs used to treat symptoms
of severe psychiatric disorders. These drugs are sometimes
called major tranquilizers.
Antipyretics: Drugs that reduce fever.
Antivirals: Drugs used to treat viral
infections or to provide temporary protection against
infections such as influenza.
Barbiturates: See "sleeping
drugs."
Beta-Blockers: Beta-adrenergic blocking
agents, or beta-blockers for short, reduce the oxygen needs
of the heart by reducing heartbeat rate.
Bronchodilators: Drugs that open up the
bronchial tubes within the lungs when the tubes have become
narrowed by muscle spasm. Bronchodilators ease breathing in
diseases such as asthma.
Cold Cures: Although there is no drug that
can cure a cold, the aches, pains, and fever that accompany a
cold can be relieved by aspirin or acetaminophen often
accompanied by a decongestant, antihistamine, and sometimes
caffeine.
Corticosteroids: These hormonal preparations
are used primarily as anti-inflammatories in arthritis or
asthma or as immunosuppressives, but they are also useful for
treating some malignancies or compensating for a deficiency
of natural hormones in disorders such as Addison's disease.
Cough Suppressants: Simple cough medicines,
which contain substances such as honey, glycerine, or
menthol, soothe throat irritation but do not actually
suppress coughing. They are most soothing when taken as
lozenges and dissolved in the mouth. As liquids they are
probably swallowed too quickly to be effective. A few drugs
are actually cough suppressants. There are two groups of
cough suppressants: those that alter the consistency or
production of phlegm such as mucolytics and expectorants; and
those that suppress the coughing reflex such as codeine
(narcotic cough suppressants), antihistamines,
dextromethorphan and isoproterenol (non-narcotic cough
suppressants).
Cytotoxics: Drugs that kill or damage cells.
Cytotoxics are used as antineoplastics (drugs used to treat
cancer) and also as immunosuppressives.
Decongestants: Drugs that reduce swelling of
the mucous membranes that line the nose by constricting blood
vessels, thus relieving nasal stuffiness.
Diuretics: Drugs that increase the quantity
of urine produced by the kidneys and passed out of the body,
thus ridding the body of excess fluid. Diuretics reduce water
logging of the tissues caused by fluid retention in disorders
of the heart, kidneys, and liver. They are useful in treating
mild cases of high blood pressure.
Expectorant: A drug that stimulates the flow
of saliva and promotes coughing to eliminate phlegm from the
respiratory tract.
Hormones: Chemicals produced naturally by
the endocrine glands (thyroid, adrenal, ovary, testis,
pancreas, parathyroid). In some disorders, for example,
diabetes mellitus, in which too little of a particular
hormone is produced, synthetic equivalents or natural hormone
extracts are prescribed to restore the deficiency. Such
treatment is known as hormone replacement therapy.
Hypoglycemics (Oral): Drugs that lower the
level of glucose in the blood. Oral hypoglycemic drugs are
used in diabetes mellitus if it cannot be controlled by diet
alone, but does require treatment with injections of insulin.
Immunosuppressives: Drugs that prevent or
reduce the body's normal reaction to invasion by disease or
by foreign tissues. Immunosuppressives are used to treat
autoimmune diseases (in which the body's defenses work
abnormally and attack its own tissues) and to help prevent
rejection of organ transplants.
Laxatives: Drugs that increase the frequency
and ease of bowel movements, either by stimulating the bowel
wall (stimulant laxative), by increasing the bulk of bowel
contents (bulk laxative), or by lubricating them
(stool-softeners, or bowel movement-softeners). Laxatives may
be taken by mouth or directly into the lower bowel as
suppositories or enemas. If laxatives are taken regularly,
the bowels may ultimately become unable to work properly
without them.
Muscle Relaxants: Drugs that relieve muscle
spasm in disorders such as backache. Antianxiety drugs (minor
tranquilizers) that also have a muscle-relaxant action are
used most commonly.
Sedatives: Same as Antianxiety drugs.
Sex Hormones (Female): There are two groups
of these hormones (estrogens and progesterone), which are
responsible for development of female secondary sexual
characteristics. Small quantities are also produced in males.
As drugs, female sex hormones are used to treat menstrual and
menopausal disorders and are also used as oral
contraceptives. Estrogens may be used to treat cancer of the
breast or prostate, progestins (synthetic progesterone to
treat endometriosis).
Sex Hormones (Male): Androgenic hormones, of
which the most powerful is testosterone, are responsible for
development of male secondary sexual characteristics. Small
quantities are also produced in females. As drugs, male sex
hormones are given to compensate for hormonal deficiency in
hypopituitarism or disorders of the testes. They may be used
to treat breast cancer in women, but either synthetic
derivatives called anabolic steroids, which have less marked
side- effects, or specific anti-estrogens are often
preferred. Anabolic steroids also have a "body
building" effect that has led to their (usually
nonsanctioned) use in competitive sports, for both men and
women.
Sleeping Drugs: The two main groups of drugs
that are used to induce sleep are benzodiazepines and
barbiturates. All such drugs have a sedative effect in low
doses and are effective sleeping medications in higher doses.
Benzodiazepines drugs are used more widely than barbiturates
because they are safer, the side-effects are less marked, and
there is less risk of eventual physical dependence.
Tranquilizer: This is a term commonly used
to describe any drug that has a calming or sedative effect.
However, the drugs that are sometimes called minor
tranquilizers should be called antianxiety drugs, and the
drugs that are sometimes called major tranquilizers should be
called antipsychotics.
Vitamins: Chemicals essential in small
quantities for good health. Some vitamins are not
manufactured by the body, but adequate quantities are present
in a normal diet. People whose diets are inadequate or who
have digestive tract or liver disorders may need to take
supplementary vitamins.
Source: U.S. Food and Drug Administration Center for Drug Evaluation and Research Handbook.
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