Pharmacology

An abbreviation that can mean triamcinolone, tacrolimus, or a numbing gel of tetracaine, adrenaline and cocaine; ISMP advises full names.

A drug that weakens the immune response, used to prevent rejection of a transplanted organ.

A PDE5 inhibitor: a drug that relaxes smooth muscle in blood vessels, used for erectile dysfunction, enlarged prostate and pulmonary hypertension.

Writing parts of look-alike drug names in capital letters so the difference between them stands out.

An oral drug that blocks estrogen in breast tissue, used to treat and prevent breast cancer.

An alpha-1 blocker that relaxes the muscle of the prostate and bladder neck so urine flows more easily.

A movement disorder with repeated movements a person cannot control, most often of the face, lips and tongue.

A salt of tartaric acid that appears as part of some drug names, such as metoprolol tartrate.

A drug combined with certain antibiotics to block the bacterial enzymes that would destroy them.

An abbreviation for tricyclic antidepressant, an older class of antidepressant drugs; in biology, it can mean the tricarboxylic acid cycle.

Anything a pregnant person is exposed to that can cause birth defects in the developing baby.

An antifungal drug used on the skin for athlete's foot and ringworm, and by mouth for fungal nail infections.

A beta-2 agonist drug that relaxes smooth muscle in the airways and the uterus.

The main male sex hormone, made mostly in the testes and in small amounts by the ovaries and adrenal glands.

An ester local anesthetic used on the surface of the eye and throat and for spinal anesthesia.

An oral drug that changes the immune response, used for multiple myeloma and a complication of leprosy.

Tetrahydrocannabinol: the main chemical in cannabis that produces a high.

A bronchodilator taken by mouth that relaxes and opens the airways, used long term for asthma and COPD.

A blood test that measures how much of the bronchodilator theophylline is in the blood.

The helpful effect a drug or treatment is given to produce.

The span of blood levels of a drug that is high enough to work but low enough to avoid toxic effects.

Vitamin B1, which the body needs to use glucose for energy, especially in the brain, nerves and heart.

A medication schedule in which a dose is given three times during the day, often written TID.

A drug that dissolves blood clots that have already formed.

The main hormone of the thyroid gland, which carries four iodine atoms; written T4.

A sticky liquid painted on the skin before tape, closure strips or films are applied, so they stay on better.

A long-acting inhaled drug, taken once a day, that keeps the airways open.

To adjust the dose or rate of a drug step by step until the wanted effect is reached.

An abbreviation for "three times a week" that ISMP advises against; write "3 times weekly."

An abbreviation for TNKase (tenecteplase), a clot-dissolving drug; ISMP advises writing the full drug name.

An aminoglycoside antibiotic given by IV, by inhalation or as eye drops for serious gram-negative infections.

A reduced response to a drug after repeated use, so a higher dose is needed for the same effect; also the ability to endure something.

Applied to a surface of the body, such as the skin, eyes or mucous membranes.

An anticonvulsant drug used to prevent seizures and migraine headaches.

The harm a substance does to the body, or a state in which a drug has built up to a harmful level.

A bacterial toxin changed so it can no longer poison but still makes the body build antibodies, used as a vaccine, as against tetanus and diphtheria.

An abbreviation for tissue plasminogen activator (alteplase), a clot-dissolving drug; ISMP advises writing the full drug name.

The name a company gives its own product of a drug, capitalized and often marked with a registered sign; also called the brand name.

A zero written after the decimal point in a whole-number dose, as in 1.0 mg; it must not be used.

An opioid pain drug, taken by mouth, for moderate to severe pain.

A drug that reduces bleeding by stopping the body from breaking down blood clots.

A drug that calms a person by easing tension, anxiety and agitation.

Through the skin; used for medicine absorbed from a patch stuck to the skin.

A monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) antidepressant taken by mouth for depression that has not improved with other drugs.

An antidepressant drug, often given in low doses at bedtime to help with sleep.

A form of vitamin A used on the skin for acne and sun damage, and by mouth for one type of leukemia.

A corticosteroid drug used as a cream, nasal spray or injection to reduce inflammation.

A potassium-sparing diuretic: a drug that removes salt and water while keeping potassium in the body.

An older type of antidepressant, named for its three-ring chemical structure, also used for nerve pain.

An antibiotic used mainly for urinary tract infections, most often combined with sulfamethoxazole.