Types and forms of medicine

a drug that increases energy and excitement and makes you less hungry

a drug that increases muscles, used illegally by some sports people to make themselves stronger

an anaesthetic that is given to someone before they have a medical operation, or the use of anaesthetics

a drug or gas that is given to someone before a medical operation to stop them feeling pain. An anaesthetic that affects the whole of your body by making you unconscious is called a general anaesthetic and an anaesthetic that affects only a part of your body is called a local anaesthetic

analgesic (noun)

a drug that reduces pain

anesthesia ()

an American spelling of anaesthesia

anesthetic ()

an American spelling of anaesthetic

antacid (noun)

a medicine that reduces the amount of acid in your stomach

antibiotic (noun)

a drug that cures illnesses and infections caused by bacteria. Doctors often give people a course of antibiotics, when they have to take a fixed amount of medicine each day for several days.

anticoagulant (noun)

a substance that prevents blood from coagulating (=becoming more solid)

antidepressant (noun)

a drug used for treating someone who is depressed (=so unhappy that they are considered ill)

antidote (noun)

a substance that prevents a poison from having bad effects

antihistamine (noun)

a drug used to treat an allergy (=a bad reaction to something you swallow or touch)

anti-inflammatory (noun)

a drug taken to reduce inflammation (=swelling, heat, and pain)

antiretroviral (adjective)

antiretroviral drugs are used to treat certain types of virus, especially HIV (=the virus that causes AIDS)

barbiturate (noun)

a strong drug that doctors give to people to make them calm or help them sleep

beta-blocker (noun)

a drug that makes your heart work more slowly, used for treating high blood pressure

booster (noun)

medical a small extra amount of a medical drug that you are given so that a drug you had before will continue to be effective

caplet (noun)

a pill shaped like an oval (=a long narrow circle)

capsule (noun)

a small round container filled with medicine that you swallow whole

contraceptive (noun)

a drug, method, or object used for preventing a woman from becoming pregnant

cough drop (noun)

a type of sweet containing medicine that you suck when you have a cough or a sore throat

cough mixture (noun)

British a liquid medicine that you take to help to cure a cough

cough sweet (noun)

British a cough drop

cough syrup (noun)

cough mixture

decongestant (noun)

a drug that helps you breathe more easily when you have a cold

depressant (noun)

a drug or substance that makes you feel relaxed and makes your body work and react more slowly

draught (noun)

literary a liquid medicine that you drink

drops (noun)

liquid medicine that you put into your eyes, ears, or nose

ear drops (noun)

liquid medicine that you put in your ear to treat an ear infection

emetic (noun)

a substance that makes you vomit

enema (noun)

a liquid used to give someone an enema

expectorant (noun)

a medicine that you use for helping you to cough liquid up from your lungs

fertility drug (noun)

a drug given to a woman to improve her fertility

gas (noun)

a gas given to people before an operation to make them sleep, or during medical treatment so that they will feel less pain

general anaesthetic (noun)

a substance that a doctor puts into your body so that you will sleep and not feel any pain during an operation

herbal medicine (noun)

medicine made from plants

hypnotic (noun)

a drug that makes you go to sleep

inhalant (noun)

a medicine or drug that you breathe into your lungs

injection (noun)

a drug or another substance that is injected into your body

jab (noun)

British an injection (=amount of medicine given through a needle) that is intended to stop you from getting a disease

laxative (noun)

a medicine, food, or drink that helps you to make solid waste leave your body when you use the toilet

legal high (noun)

a drug that makes the user feel happy, excited, or relaxed and that is not illegal

linctus (noun)

British a thick liquid medicine used for curing coughs

local anaesthetic (noun)

a type of anaesthetic (=a drug to stop you feeling pain) that affects only one part of your body

lozenge (noun)

medicine shaped like a sweet that you suck if you have a cough or sore throat

magic bullet (noun)

a medicine designed to cure an illness quickly and completely, without affecting other parts of the body

MMR vaccine (noun)

a drug given to young children by injection to protect them against measles, mumps, and rubella. Some parents are worried about their children being given the MMR vaccine because they believe it may cause autism.

multivitamin (noun)

a pill that some people take to make them healthier, containing various vitamins and minerals

narcotic (noun)

medical a drug that people use when they are very ill in order to feel less pain and sleep better

opiate (noun)

medical a drug that contains opium and is used for reducing pain and making you go to sleep

painkiller (noun)

a medicine that reduces pain

pastille (noun)

a round sweet that contains medicine, for example for a sore throat

patent medicine (noun)

a medicine that you can buy from a shop without a doctor’s prescription

pessary (noun)

a solid medicine or chemical substance put into a woman’s vagina to cure an infection or to prevent her becoming pregnant

the pill (noun)

a small piece of solid medicine that you swallow with water

prescription drug (noun)

a drug that you can only get if you have a prescription from your doctor

prophylactic (noun)

medical a medicine or treatment used for preventing disease or infection

purgative (noun)

a food or drug that makes you go to the toilet

relaxant (noun)

something, especially a drug, that relaxes you

sedative (noun)

a drug that makes someone calmer, or makes them sleep

serum (noun)

a liquid that is put into someone’s blood to help them to fight an infection or a poison

sleeping pill (noun)

a pill that you take to help you to sleep

sleeping tablet (noun)

British a sleeping pill

sports supplement (noun)

a food substance or drug that people can take to increase their energy or to become more healthy

statin (noun)

a drug that is used to reduce the amount of cholesterol in the blood

steroid (noun)

a chemical that is produced in the body or made as a drug. Steroids can act as hormones or be used for treating conditions such as swelling, or, illegally, by athletes to improve their performance.

supplement (noun)

a pill or special food that you take or eat when your food does not contain everything that you need

suppository (noun)

a drug in the form of a small block that is put inside the rectum or vagina to treat a medical condition

suppressant (noun)

a drug that stops or limits the effects of something

syrup (noun)

a sweet liquid that contains medicine

tablet (noun)

a small hard round piece of medicine that you swallow

tincture (noun)

a medicine made by mixing a small amount of a drug with alcohol