Pharmacology

A magnesium salt taken by mouth as a laxative or an antacid; also called milk of magnesia.

A magnesium salt given by IV or IM to raise a low magnesium level or prevent seizures in severe preeclampsia.

Harm from a blood magnesium level that rises too high, usually during magnesium sulfate treatment.

In general anesthesia, the phase from the secured airway until near the end of the operation, while the patient is kept asleep.

A lotion that kills head lice and their eggs, applied to the hair and scalp.

An osmotic diuretic, given by IV, that draws water out of tissues into the blood so the kidneys can remove it.

The largest amount of a drug a patient may safely receive, often set by body weight, which the team keeps track of so it is never passed during a case.

Microgram: one millionth of a gram, or one thousandth of a milligram.

A chewable drug that kills intestinal worms such as pinworms, roundworms and hookworms.

How a drug works in the body: the exact process by which it produces its effect.

The part of a client's record that lists every ordered drug, dose, route and time, where nurses record each dose given.

A preventable mistake at any step of prescribing, preparing, giving or monitoring a medicine, whether or not it causes harm.

The printed information on a drug's container, and the label the team writes for every cup, basin and syringe that holds a drug on the field.

Comparing a client's full list of current medicines with new orders at each change in care, to find and fix differences.

A progestin hormone given as a birth control injection every 3 months, or as tablets for menstrual problems.

A hormone made by the pineal gland in the brain, mostly at night, that helps control the sleep-wake cycle.

A drug used to ease memory and thinking symptoms in moderate to severe Alzheimer disease.

An injected fertility drug containing the hormones FSH and LH, used to make the ovaries develop eggs.

A synthetic opioid pain drug, also called pethidine outside the United States.

An amide local anesthetic much like lidocaine, lasting a little longer, used for infiltration and nerve blocks.

An oral drug that blocks the building of DNA, used for leukemia and to calm the immune system.

A drug given with some chemotherapy drugs to protect the bladder lining from damage.

All the chemical processes in the body's cells that make energy, build tissue and break substances down.

An oral drug for type 2 diabetes that lowers blood sugar, mainly by reducing the sugar the liver releases.

A long-acting opioid drug used to treat opioid use disorder and severe pain.

An older penicillin-type antibiotic, no longer used in treatment, whose name lives on in MRSA.

An antithyroid drug that lowers the amount of thyroid hormone the thyroid gland makes.

A drug that blocks the use of folic acid by cells, used in high doses for cancer and in low weekly doses for autoimmune diseases.

A dark blue dye used in surgery to mark tissue, test whether passages are open or leak, find lymph nodes and color the urine.

An ergot drug that makes the uterus contract firmly, given after birth.

A central nervous system stimulant used to treat ADHD and narcolepsy.

A corticosteroid drug given by mouth, IV or injection to reduce inflammation and calm the immune system.

A drug that speeds emptying of the stomach and lessens nausea by blocking dopamine.

A beta blocker that slows the heart rate and lowers blood pressure.

The decimal system of measurement used in medicine, built on the meter for length, the liter for volume and the gram for weight.

An antibiotic and antiparasitic drug that treats infections caused by anaerobic bacteria and some protozoa.

Milligram: one thousandth of a gram.

The chemical shorthand for magnesium sulfate, banned from medication orders by the Joint Commission.

An azole antifungal drug used on the skin, in the vagina or in the mouth for yeast and fungal infections.

A short-acting benzodiazepine used for sedation before procedures and to stop seizures.

A drug that blocks the hormone progesterone, used with misoprostol to end an early pregnancy, and for some hormone disorders.

A unit of volume equal to one thousandth of a liter, the same as one cubic centimeter.

A lubricant laxative, taken by mouth or as an enema, that coats stool so it passes more easily.

A steroid hormone, or a drug that acts like one, that makes the kidneys keep sodium and water and remove potassium.

The weakest strength at which a disinfectant still works; for a drug, the lowest blood level that gives the wanted effect.

An antidepressant taken at bedtime that often causes sleepiness and increased appetite.

A prostaglandin drug that protects the stomach lining and also makes the cervix soften and the uterus contract.

Using something in the wrong way or for the wrong purpose, such as taking a medicine other than as prescribed.

Milliliters per hour: the unit for how fast an IV fluid, infusion or tube feeding runs.

A combination vaccine that protects against measles, mumps and rubella.