Pharmacology

A solution of salt (sodium chloride) in water, used for IV fluids, flushes, wound cleaning and other care.

A long-acting inhaled bronchodilator, used twice a day to keep the airways open in asthma and COPD.

An abbreviation for subcutaneous, meaning into the fatty layer under the skin.

An anticholinergic drug, most often used as a skin patch behind the ear to prevent motion sickness and nausea after surgery.

A calm, relaxed or sleepy state brought on by drugs, or the use of drugs to cause it.

A drug that calms a person (sedative) or helps them fall asleep (hypnotic); the same drug can do either, depending on the dose.

A type of antidepressant that raises serotonin levels between nerve cells by slowing its reuptake.

An MAO-B inhibitor drug used for Parkinson disease and, as a skin patch, for depression.

A plant-based stimulant laxative that makes the bowel muscles push stool along.

A chemical messenger in the brain, gut and blood that helps control mood, sleep, appetite and other functions.

A drug reaction caused by too much serotonin activity in the nervous system.

An SSRI antidepressant used for depression, anxiety disorders, OCD and PTSD.

A volatile liquid general anesthetic, breathed in as a vapor, gentle on the airway and the usual agent for putting children to sleep by mask.

How long a product can be stored and still be safe and work; for sterile packages, how long they stay sterile.

Insulin that starts working in about 30 minutes and lasts several hours; regular insulin is the main example.

An effect of a drug, other than the one it is given for, that is known and expected to happen in some people.

A PDE5 inhibitor that relaxes certain blood vessels, used for erectile dysfunction and pulmonary arterial hypertension.

A white antibacterial cream, made of silver joined to a sulfa drug, put on burns.

A drug that breaks up gas bubbles in the stomach and intestines so gas passes more easily.

A statin drug that lowers LDL cholesterol and the risk of heart disease.

A diabetes pill that helps the body release more insulin after meals.

The six checks AST and the Core Curriculum use for every drug: right patient, drug, dose, route, time and documentation.

A drug that relieves muscle spasms or stiffness in the muscles that move the body.

An alkaline drug, given by mouth or IV, that neutralizes acid in the stomach or the blood.

Salt: a compound of sodium and chloride, used in IV fluids, flushes, tablets and rinses.

A clear, nonparticulate liquid antacid given by mouth just before anesthesia to neutralize stomach acid in case of aspiration.

A resin, taken by mouth or as an enema, that trades sodium for potassium in the bowel so potassium leaves in the stool.

A liquid in which a drug or other substance is fully dissolved, so it stays evenly mixed and clear.

A hormone made in the hypothalamus, the pancreatic islets and the gut that holds back the release of growth hormone, insulin, glucagon and gut hormones.

A drug that is both a beta blocker and a potassium channel blocker, used to control serious heart rhythm problems.

Regional anesthesia in which local anesthetic is injected into the spinal fluid low in the back, numbing the lower body.

A diuretic that removes extra water from the body while keeping potassium in.

An abbreviation for subcutaneous (under the skin) that ISMP lists as error-prone; ISMP advises SUBQ instead.

The four classic levels of depth of general anesthesia, from the first drug to overdose, described by Arthur Guedel.

An order that stays in effect for a set kind of patient or procedure until the prescriber cancels it.

Immediately; at once.

A drug that lowers cholesterol by blocking an enzyme the liver uses to make it.

A sterile, water-soluble gel that makes a catheter, scope or instrument slide easily into the body.

Water that has been sterilized and holds no salts, used to rinse instruments, mix powdered drugs and fill catheter balloons.

A fat-based chemical built from cholesterol; the group includes hormones such as cortisol and estrogen, and many drugs.

A drug that lets water and fat mix into stool so it is softer and easier to pass.

An aminoglycoside antibiotic given by injection, used mainly for tuberculosis and a few rare infections.

Under the skin; in the fatty layer between the skin and the muscle.

An injection of medicine into the layer of fat just under the skin.

Under the tongue.

A fast, short-acting drug that relaxes and paralyzes the muscles, used to place a breathing tube.

A drug taken by mouth that forms a protective coating over ulcers in the stomach and duodenum.

A synthetic opioid like fentanyl but 5 to 10 times stronger, used by vein for pain relief during anesthesia.

A reversal drug that binds rocuronium or vecuronium in the blood and ends their muscle relaxation within minutes, even from a deep block.

A sulfonamide antibiotic, almost always given combined with trimethoprim.