Key Terms
What is an antibiotic?
a chemical substance with the ability to kill or inhibit the growth of bacteria by interfering with bacteria life processes
What are antihyperlipidemic drugs?
a class of cardiovascular drugs that fight high cholesterol and triglycerides
What are atypical antipsychotic drugs?
first-line therapy for schizophrenia and other psychoses that address specific neurotransmitters
What are corticosteroids?
steroid hormone produced by the adrenal cortex often used to reduce inflammation and pain
What is analgesia?
substance used to relieve pain
What is a anticonvulsant?
a drug to control seizures
What are antihypertensive agents?
drugs that work against high blood pressure
What are benzodiazepines?
a class of drugs used as a sedative, hypnotic, anti-anxiety medication, and anticonvulsant. Many of these drugs share the suffix -pam
What is depression?
a condition characterized by anxiety, hopelessness, irritability, intense sadness, loss of concentration, pessimism, problems with eating and sleeping
What is a bioequivalent drug?
a generic drug that delivers approximately the same amount of active ingredient into a healthy volunteer’s bloodstream in the same amount of time as the innovator or brand name drug
What is an antidepressant?
drugs that work to lift moods and/or change perceptions
What are anti-inflammatory drugs?
a drug that removes swelling from skin and internal organs
What are beta-adrenergic blockers?
drugs that slow the fight or flight response to stress and make the heart beat slower with less force by blocking the hormone epinephrine, also known as adrenaline. Many of these drugs share the suffix -olol as in norepinephrine and epinephrine, and -olol as in atenolol and metoprolol.
What are muscle relaxants?
drugs that reduce or prevent skeletal muscle contraction and pain
What is GERD?
a GI disease characterized by radiating burning or pain in the chest and an acid taste; caused by backflow of acidic stomach contents across an incompetent lower esophageal sphincter; also referred to as heartburn
What are anti diabetic drugs?
a class of drugs that supply insulin to lower sugar or stimulate the pancreas to produce more insulin. The sulfonylureas class of drugs are the most common ones.
What are antipsychotic drugs?
medications used to treat disordered thought and personality behaviors, such as delusions, hallucinations, and severe agitation
What are calcium channel blockers?
this class of drugs blocks calcium from entering the cells of the blood vessels to keep them from gaining rigidity
What is a narcotic?
class of drugs that numb or blunt the senses, induces sleep, or has other psychoactive properties, including the opium-based and opium-like drugs
What is high-density lipoprotein?
the “good cholesterol” that picks up floating low-density lipoproteins (the “bad cholesterol”) and sweeps them away through the bloodstream
What are antihistamines?
common term for drugs that block the H1 receptors; drugs used to treat and lesson the symptoms of allergies
What is ADHD?
a disorder that manifests itself in difficulty focusing or concentrating, overactivity, and difficulty with impulse control
What are cephalosporin antibiotics?
antibiotic drugs developed to act like penicillin against bacteria
What are NSAIDs?
a class of drugs that provide pain, swelling, and fever relief
What is hyperthyroidism?
a condition caused by excessive thyroid hormone and marked by increased metabolic rate; also called thyrotoxicosis