medication

1. (medicine) something that treats or prevents or alleviates the symptoms of disease (synset 103745652)
   referred to in: medical specialty, medicine - the branches of medical science that deal with nonsurgical techniques
   associated with:

   • prescription - available only with a doctor's written prescription
   • nonprescription, over-the-counter - purchasable without a doctor's prescription
   is a type of: drug - a substance that is used as a medicine or narcotic
   subtypes:

   • acyclovir, zovirax - an oral antiviral drug (trade name Zovirax) used to treat genital herpes; does not cure the disease but relieves the symptoms
   • alendronate, fosamax - a tablet (trade name Fosamax) prescribed to prevent or treat osteoporosis in women after menopause
   • allopurinol, zyloprim - a drug (trade name Zyloprim) used to treat gout and other conditions in which there is an excessive buildup of uric acid
   • amrinone, inocor - a drug (trade name Inocor) used intravenously in heart failure; increases strength of contraction of myocardium
   • analgesic, anodyne, pain pill, painkiller - a medicine used to relieve pain
   • angiogenesis inhibitor - a drug that is designed to prevent the growth of blood vessels that nourish tumors
   • antiarrhythmic, antiarrhythmic drug, antiarrhythmic medication - a drug used to treat an abnormal heart rhythm
   • antibacterial, antibacterial drug, bactericide - any drug that destroys bacteria or inhibits their growth
   • anticholinergic, anticholinergic drug - a substance that opposes or blocks the action of acetylcholine
   • anticholinesterase - a medicine that inhibits cholinesterase by combining with it and so has a cholinergic effect
   • anticoagulant, anticoagulant medication, decoagulant - medicine that prevents or retards the clotting of blood
   • anticonvulsant, anticonvulsant drug, antiepileptic, antiepileptic drug - a drug used to treat or prevent convulsions (as in epilepsy)
   • antidepressant, antidepressant drug - any of a class of drugs used to treat depression; often have undesirable side effects
   • antidiabetic, antidiabetic drug - a drug used to treat diabetes mellitus
   • antidiarrheal, antidiarrheal drug - a drug used to control or stop diarrhea
   • antidiuretic, antidiuretic drug - a drug that limits the formation of urine
   • antiemetic, antiemetic drug - a drug that prevents or alleviates nausea and vomiting
   • antihistamine - a medicine used to treat allergies and hypersensitive reactions and colds; works by counteracting the effects of histamine on a receptor site
   • antihypertensive, antihypertensive drug - a drug that reduces high blood pressure
   • anti-inflammatory, anti-inflammatory drug - a medicine intended to reduce inflammation
   • antiprotozoal, antiprotozoal drug - a medicinal drug used to fight diseases (like malaria) that are caused by protozoa
   • antipyretic, febrifuge - any medicine that lowers body temperature to prevent or alleviate fever
   • antiseptic - a substance that destroys micro-organisms that carry disease without harming body tissues
   • antispasmodic, antispasmodic agent, spasmolytic - a drug used to relieve or prevent spasms (especially of the smooth muscles)
   • antitussive - any medicine used to suppress or relieve coughing
   • antiviral, antiviral agent, antiviral drug - any drug that destroys viruses
   • apc - a drug combination found in some over-the-counter headache remedies (aspirin and phenacetin and caffeine)
   • astringent, astringent drug, styptic - a drug that causes contraction of body tissues and canals
   • atomic cocktail - an oral dose of radioactive substance used in treatment and diagnosis of cancer
   • azathioprine, imuran - an immunosuppressive drug (trade name Imuran) used to prevent rejection of a transplanted organ
   • blocker, blocking agent - a class of drugs that inhibit (block) some biological process
   • bronchodilator - a drug that relaxes and dilates the bronchial passageways and improves the passages of air into the lungs
   • calcium blocker, calcium-channel blocker - any of a class of drugs that block the flow of the electrolyte calcium (either in nerve cell conduction or smooth muscle contraction of the heart); has been used in the treatment of angina or arrhythmia or hypertension or migraine
   • carminative - medication that prevents the formation of gas in the alimentary tract or eases its passing
   • atromid-s, clofibrate - a drug (trade name Atromid-S) that reduces lipids in the blood serum; used to treat some cardiovascular diseases
   • clopidogrel bisulfate, plavix - a blood thinner (trade name Plavix) approved for the treatment of mild heart attacks; works by preventing blood platelets from sticking together to form clots that would restrict blood flow
   • cold medicine - medicine intended to relieve the symptoms of the common cold
   • counterirritant - a medicine applied locally to produce superficial inflammation in order to reduce deeper inflammation
   • cytotoxic drug - any drug that has a toxic effect on cells; commonly used in chemotherapy to inhibit the proliferation of cancerous cells
   • decongestant - a drug that decreases pulmonary congestion
   • demulcent - a medication (in the form of an oil or salve etc.) that soothes inflamed or injured skin
   • diaphoretic - used to produce perspiration
   • antabuse, disulfiram - a drug (trade name Antabuse) used in the treatment of alcoholism; causes nausea and vomiting if alcohol is ingested
   • dosage, dose - a measured portion of medicine taken at any one time
   • drixoral - the trade name for a drug used to treat upper respiratory congestion; it contains an antihistamine and a bronchodilator and a vasoconstrictor
   • drug cocktail, haart, highly active antiretroviral therapy - a combination of protease inhibitors taken with reverse transcriptase inhibitors; used in treating AIDS and HIV
   • expectorant, expectorator - a medicine promoting expectoration
   • fixed-combination drug - drug containing fixed amounts of two or more ingredients
   • gemfibrozil, lopid - medication (trade name Lopid) used to lower the levels of triglyceride in the blood
   • haematinic, hematinic - a medicine that increases the hemoglobin content of the blood; used to treat iron-deficiency anemia
   • herbal medicine - a medicine made from plants and used to prevent or treat disease or promote health
   • histamine blocker - a medicine used to treat the gastric effects of histamine in cases of peptic ulcers and gastritis and gastroesophageal reflux; works by blocking the effects of histamine on the receptor site known as H2
   • immune suppressant drug, immunosuppressant, immunosuppressive, immunosuppressive drug, immunosuppressor - a drug that lowers the body's normal immune response
   • inhalant, inhalation - a medication to be taken by inhaling it
   • isoproterenol, isuprel - drug (trade name Isuprel) used to treat bronchial asthma and to stimulate the heart
   • isordil, isosorbide - drug (trade name Isordil) used to treat angina pectoris and congestive heart failure
   • lipid-lowering medication, lipid-lowering medicine, statin, statin drug - a medicine that lowers blood cholesterol levels by inhibiting HMG-CoA reductase
   • mecholyl, methacholine - parasympathomimetic drug (trademark Mecholyl) that stimulates secretions and smooth muscle activity
   • nux vomica - a medicine made from the seeds of an Asiatic tree; contains strychnine and brucine; formerly used as a stimulant
   • over-the-counter drug, over-the-counter medicine - a drug that is sold without a prescription
   • oxytocic, oxytocic drug - a drug that induces labor by stimulating contractions of the muscles of the uterus
   • camphorated tincture of opium, paregoric - medicine used to treat diarrhea
   • patent medicine - medicine that is protected by a patent and available without a doctor's prescription
   • cuprimine, penicillamine - a drug (trade name Cuprimine) used to treat heavy metal poisoning and Wilson's disease and severe arthritis
   • metrazol, pentamethylenetetrazol, pentylenetetrazol - a drug used as a circulatory and respiratory stimulant; larger doses cause convulsions in shock therapy; Metrazol is a trademark
   • pharmaceutic, pharmaceutical - drug or medicine that is prepared or dispensed in pharmacies and used in medical treatment
   • placebo - an innocuous or inert medication; given as a pacifier or to the control group in experiments on the efficacy of a drug
   • powder - any of various cosmetic or medical preparations dispensed in the form of a pulverized powder
   • ethical drug, prescription, prescription drug, prescription medicine - a drug that is available only with written instructions from a doctor or dentist to a pharmacist
   • probenecid - a uricosuric drug that reduces the level of uric acid in the blood; used to treat gout
   • aperient, cathartic, physic, purgative - a purging medicine; stimulates evacuation of the bowels
   • curative, cure, remedy, therapeutic - a medicine or therapy that cures disease or relieve pain
   • rubefacient - a medicine for external application that produces redness of the skin
   • depressant, downer, sedative, sedative drug - a drug that reduces excitability and calms a person
   • soothing syrup - medicine in the form of a syrup that has a calming effect
   • specific - a medicine that has a mitigating effect on a specific disease
   • carafate, sucralfate - medicine consisting of a tablet (trade name Carafate) used to treat peptic ulcers; said to bind to the ulcer site and coat it
   • sudatory, sudorific - a medicine that causes or increases sweating
   • suppository - a small plug of medication designed for insertion into the rectum or vagina where it melts
   • tincture - (pharmacology) a medicine consisting of an extract in an alcohol solution
   • restorative, tonic - a medicine that strengthens and invigorates
   • tyrosine kinase inhibitor - a drug used in cases of chronic myeloid leukemia
   • vermicide - an agent that kills worms (especially those in the intestines)
   • anthelminthic, anthelmintic, helminthic, vermifuge - a medication capable of causing the evacuation of parasitic intestinal worms
   substance holonym: physostigmine - used in treatment of Alzheimer's disease and glaucoma
   same as: medicament, medicinal drug, medicine
2. The act of treating with medicines or remedies (synset 100665353)
   is a type of: therapy - (medicine) the act of caring for someone (as by medication or remedial training etc.)
   subtypes:

   • antipyresis - medication with antipyretics to treat a fever
   • administration, giving medication - the act of administering medication

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