Pharmacology

A sponge of purified gelatin placed on oozing tissue to help blood clot, used dry or soaked in saline or thrombin; Gelfoam is one brand.

The taking in of a substance, such as a drug or a nutrient, into the bloodstream.

A diabetes pill that slows the breakdown of starches and sugars in the gut, so blood glucose rises less after meals.

A blood pressure drug that blocks the enzyme that makes angiotensin II, so blood vessels relax and less fluid is held in the body.

A drug that relieves mild to moderate pain and lowers fever.

A chemical messenger that nerves release to signal muscles, glands and other nerves.

A drug used as the antidote for acetaminophen overdose and, when inhaled, to thin thick mucus.

A black powder or liquid given by mouth or tube that binds some poisons and drugs in the gut so less is absorbed.

An antiviral drug used against herpes virus infections, such as cold sores, genital herpes, chickenpox and shingles.

An abbreviation that has been used for right ear, and also for Alzheimer disease and advance directive.

A biologic drug, injected under the skin, that blocks tumor necrosis factor, a protein that drives inflammation.

A drug given by fast IV push that briefly slows electrical conduction through the heart.

Added to a main treatment to help it work better; also a substance added to a vaccine to strengthen the immune response.

Relating to nerves and receptors that respond to epinephrine and norepinephrine, or a drug that acts like them.

A drug that acts like epinephrine or norepinephrine on the body's adrenergic receptors.

An unwanted and harmful effect of a drug or treatment given at a normal dose.

Harm to a client that results from medical care rather than from the client's illness.

A drug or body chemical that attaches to a receptor on a cell and switches it on.

A severe drop in granulocytes, the white blood cells that fight bacterial infection, mainly neutrophils.

An oral drug that kills tapeworms and other parasitic worms.

A fast-acting inhaled drug that relaxes and opens the airways.

A bisphosphonate taken by mouth to prevent and treat osteoporosis.

A fast, short-acting synthetic opioid given by vein for pain relief during anesthesia.

A drug that lowers the body's production of uric acid, taken daily to prevent gout attacks and kidney stones.

A benzodiazepine drug taken by mouth to treat anxiety and panic disorder.

A clot-dissolving drug (thrombolytic) given IV; a man-made form of tissue plasminogen activator.

A drug used for Parkinson disease and its movement side effects, first made as an antiviral for influenza.

One of the two chemical families of local anesthetic, broken down in the liver and rarely causing allergy; lidocaine and bupivacaine are amides.

A group of strong antibiotics, mostly given by IV or injection, that kill many gram-negative bacteria.

A form of theophylline, given by IV or by mouth, that relaxes and opens the airways.

A drug used to treat and prevent serious abnormal heart rhythms.

A tricyclic antidepressant, used for depression and often in low doses for nerve pain, migraine prevention and sleep.

A calcium channel blocker taken once a day to lower blood pressure and prevent chest pain (angina).

A penicillin-type antibiotic, usually taken by mouth, that kills many kinds of bacteria.

A stimulant drug that increases alertness and attention, used for ADHD and narcolepsy.

A penicillin antibiotic, given by mouth or by injection, that treats many bacterial infections.

A small sealed glass container with a narrow neck that is snapped off to get the drug out.

A drug that stimulates the central nervous system.

Relief from pain without loss of consciousness, or the treatment used to bring that relief.

A drug that relieves pain.

A male sex hormone, such as testosterone, or a drug that acts like one.

A drug that causes loss of feeling, with or without loss of consciousness.

Swelling in the deeper layers of the skin and the lining of the mouth, throat or gut.

A hormone in the blood, made in steps that the kidney's renin starts, whose active form, angiotensin II, narrows blood vessels and raises blood pressure.

A drug that blocks the hormone angiotensin II so blood vessels relax and blood pressure falls.

A drug that neutralizes stomach acid to relieve heartburn and indigestion.

A drug that attaches to a receptor and blocks it, so the body's own chemicals or other drugs cannot act there.

A blood test that measures how strongly heparin or a similar drug is blocking clotting factor Xa.

A drug that kills or stops the growth of germs that cause infection.

Reducing inflammation; also a drug that does this.