Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

394 results found

antianxiety drug

(Encyclopedia)antianxiety drug, drug administered for the relief of anxiety. Although their action is not fully understood, most antianxiety medications appear to affect the action of neurotransmitters in the brain...

antiviral drug

(Encyclopedia)antiviral drug, any of several drugs used to treat viral infections. The drugs act by interfering with a virus's ability to enter a host cell and replicate itself with the host cell's DNA. Some drugs ...

antidiabetic drug

(Encyclopedia)antidiabetic drug, any of several drugs that control blood sugar level in the treatment of diabetes. See insulin. ...

drug poisoning

(Encyclopedia)drug poisoning, toxic effects caused by an administered drug. Worldwide more than 9 million natural and synthetic chemicals have been identified; fewer than 3000 cause more than 95% of acidental and d...

sympathomimetic drug

(Encyclopedia)sympathomimetic drug sĭmpăthˌōmĭmĕtˈĭk [key], any of a group of substances whose actions resemble the response of stimulated sympathetic nerves (see nervous system). These drugs include epinep...

fertility drug

(Encyclopedia)fertility drug, any of a variety of substances used to increase the possibility of conception and successful pregnancy. Different methods are used to correct or circumvent the many different functiona...

sulfa drug

(Encyclopedia)sulfa drug, any of a class of synthetic chemical substances derived from sulfanilamide, or para-aminobenzenesulfonamide. Sulfa drugs are used to treat bacterial infections, although they have largely ...

opiate drug

(Encyclopedia)opiate drug, any of a group of drugs derived from opium. Used medicinally to relieve pain and induce sleep, they include codeine, morphine, the morphine derivative heroin, and, formerly, laudanum. Som...

Browse by Subject