Drug Classes

Question 1

5-alpha-reductase inhibitors

Answer 1

Block the action of 5-alpha-reductase, the enzyme that converts testosterone into dihydrotestosterone. May be used in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia and androgenic alopecia. They are not approved for the prevention of prostate cancer.

Question 2

5-aminosalicylates

Answer 2

Anti-inflammatory agents used to treat inflammatory bowel disease, some forms of arthritis, ulcerative colitis, proctitis, and Crohn’s disease.

Question 3

5-HT3 receptor antagonists

serotonin receptor antagonists or serotonin blockers

Answer 3

Used for the prevention and treatment of nausea and vomiting, particularly that caused by chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or postoperatively. 5-HT3 is an abbreviation for serotonin that may also be written as 5-hydroxytryptamine.

Question 4

ACE inhibitors

angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors

Answer 4

Vasodilators used in the treatment of conditions such as hypertension, heart failure, or kidney disease in people with diabetes.

Question 5

analgesics

Answer 5

Relieve pain without loss of consciousness. Central nervous system analgesics act in the brain or spinal cord to produce effects, such as opioids. Peripherally acting analgesics act outside of the brain and spinal cord and include NSAIDs and COX-2 inhibitors.

Question 6

androgens and anabolic steroids

Answer 6

Include testosterone and dihydrotestosterone and other agents that behave like these sex hormones. They stimulate the development of male sexual characteristics (such as deepening of voice and growth of beard) and development of male sex organs.

Anabolic steroids stimulate growth in many types of tissues, especially bone and muscle. Anabolic effects also include increased production of red blood cells.

Androgens and anabolic steroids are used as replacement therapy to treat delayed puberty in adolescent boys, hypogonadism and impotence in men, and to treat breast cancer in women. They are also used to treat anemia, osteoporosis, weight loss and other conditions with hormonal imbalance.

Question 7

anorexiants

Answer 7

Act on the brain to suppress appetite.

Question 8

antacids

Answer 8

Neutralize acid in the stomach to relieve symptoms of acid reflux, heartburn, or dyspepsia.

Question 9

antiandrogens

androgen antagonists, androgen receptor blockers, testosterone blockers

Answer 9

Counteract the effects of testosterone and dihydrotestosterone to treat various conditions and disorders; including prostate cancer, precocious puberty in young males, benign prostatic hyperplasia, androgenic alopecia; and sexual disorders, such as hyper-sexuality, in men. In women, they may be used to treat polycystic ovary syndrome, hirsutism, amenorrhea, acne, and several other conditions.

Question 10

anticoagulants

blood thinners

Answer 10

Reduce the ability of the blood to clot and used to treat conditions with a high risk of blood clots; such as atrial fibrillation, deep vein thrombosis, myocardial infarction, pulmonary embolism, and stroke.

Question 11

anticonvulsants

Answer 11

Reduce the severity and frequency of seizures and are typically used in people with epilepsy or at high risk of having another seizure; however, they may be used to treat other conditions such as bipolar disorder, anxiety, nerve pain, and migraine.

Question 12

antidepressants

Answer 12

Used in the treatment of depression; relieving symptoms such as restlessness, anxiety, sleep problems, and suicidal thoughts.

Question 13

antidiabetic agents

Answer 13

Medicine involved in the treatment of diabetes, achieving normoglycemia and relieving symptoms such as thirst, excessive urination, and ketoacidosis. Also prevent or slow the development of long-term complications of the disease, such as nephropathy, neuropathy, and retinopathy. They include alpha-glucosidase inhibitors, amylin analogs, dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitors, incretin mimetics, insulin, meglitinides, non-sulfonylureas, SGLT-2 inhibitors, sulfonylureas, and thiazolidinediones.

Question 14

antidiarrheals

Answer 14

Used to stop or slow diarrhea, not eliminate the cause of it.

Question 15

antidiuretic hormone

vasopressin

Answer 15

Increases the re-absorption of water and is also a powerful vasoconstrictor.

Question 16

antidotes

Answer 16

Drugs, chelating substances, or chemicals that neutralize the effects of another drug or a poison.

Question 17

antifungal agents

antimycotic agents

Answer 17

Kill or inactivate fungi and are used to treat fungal infections (including yeast infections).

Question 18

antigout agents

antihyperuricemic agents

Answer 18

Used to either correct over-production or underexcretion of uric acid.

Question 19

antihistamines

Answer 19

Used to treat the symptoms of an allergic reaction; such as edema, itch, inflammation, sneezing, runny nose, or watery eyes; as well as colds, hay fever, hives, and insect bites/stings. Some may also be helpful in reducing anxiety, inducing sleep, or at preventing/treating motion sickness.

Question 20

antihyperlipidemic agents

Answer 20

Promote reduction of lipid levels in the blood, helping to prevent both the primary and secondary symptoms of coronary heart disease.

Question 21

antimetabolites

Answer 21

Used in cancer chemotherapy by interfering with one or more enzymes or their reactions that are necessary for DNA synthesis, thereby affecting cancer cell replication.

Question 22

antineoplastic detoxifying agents

Answer 22

Used during chemotherapy to protect organs or organs systems which may be damaged by radiation or by a particular antineoplastic agent used during chemotherapy.

Question 23

antineoplastic interferons

Answer 23

Used to treat certain types of cancers and viral infections by enhancing the immune system in many ways. Used as part of the treatment for cancers like angioblastoma, chronic myelogenous leukemia and hairy cell leukemia, certain types of lymphomas, AIDS-related Kaposi sarcoma and malignant melanomas. They are also used in the treatment of viral infections such as hepatitis B and C, and human papillomavirus.

Question 24

antineoplastics

anticancer drugs

Answer 24

Antiproliferative drugs that prevent the development and spread of neoplastic cells. They also affect rapidly dividing normal cells, therefore are likely to suppress the bone marrow, suppress growth, impair healing, cause sterility and cause hair loss.

Question 25

antiparkinson agents

Answer 25

aim to replace dopamine either by drugs that release dopamine or those that mimic the action of dopamine. Parkinson’s disease is a degenerative disorder of movement that occurs due to dopamine deficiency in the basal ganglia. Antiparkinson agents attempt to replace dopamine and treat or halt the symptoms such as tremor, hypokinesia, and so on.

Question 26

antiplatelet agents

Answer 26

Reduce platelet aggregation and inhibit the formation of blood clots, playing a major role in the treatment and prevention of myocardial infarction, stent thrombosis, and ischemic stroke.

Question 27

antipsoriatics

Answer 27

Used to treat psoriasis.

Question 28

antipsychotics

typical antipsychotics, first generation antipsychotics

Answer 28

Used to treat symptoms of psychosis such as delusions, hallucinations, paranoia, or confused thoughts. Used in the treatment of schizophrenia, severe depression and severe anxiety. Also useful at stabilizing episodes of mania in people with Bipolar Disorder.

Question 29

antirheumatics

Answer 29

Used to treat the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis and can modify the course of the disease.

Question 30

disease-modifying rheumatoid arthritis drugs

DMARDs

Answer 30

Used to slow the progression of rheumatoid arthritis and help with pain, inflammation, and stiffness.

Question 31

antiseptics

germicides

Answer 31

Chemical agents that destroy microorganisms that cause disease.

Question 32

antithyroid agents

Answer 32

Prevent or suppress the biosynthesis of thyroid hormones. Used to treat hyperthyroidism.

Question 33

antitoxins

Answer 33

Agents that can neutralize the effects of toxins. Can be made by the same species or other organisms. Their blood is then extracted, purified, and injected into affected humans or animals.

Question 34

antivenoms

Answer 34

Agents that can neutralize the effects of venoms. Produced by injecting a safe amount of that particular venom into an animal and once that animal makes antibodies against the venom, the blood is drawn, purified, and used to treat bites, etc. by the venomous organism.

Question 35

antitussives

cough suppressants

Answer 35

Used to suppress coughing.

Question 36

antiviral agents

Answer 36

Used to inhibit production of viruses that cause disease. Most are only effective while the virus is replicating.

Question 37

anxiolytics

Answer 37

Medicines that work on the central nervous system to relieve anxiety.

Question 38

sedatives

Answer 38

Medicines that work on the central nervous system to aid sleep.

Question 39

hypnotics

Answer 39

Medicines that work on the central nervous system to have a calming effect.

Question 40

aromatase inhibitors

Answer 40

Medicines that work by blocking the enzyme aromatase, the enzyme that converts androgens into estrogen. Used in the treatment of breast cancer to reduce levels of circulating estrogen. Unable to prevent the ovaries from making estrogen, which means that they are only used to treat breast cancer in postmenopausal women.

Question 41

atypical antipsychotics

second generation antipsychotics

Answer 41

Used in the treatment of schizophrenia and other psychoses. Less likely to produce extrapyramidal side effects (drug-induced movement disorders that include dystonia, Parkinson’s-like symptoms, restlessness, rigidity, tardive dyskinesia, tremor, and other unwanted movements). More effective at treating the negative symptoms of schizophrenia such as lack of motivation and social withdrawal, and are more effective in treatment-resistant patients.

Question 42

azole antifungal agents

Answer 42

Contain an azole ring and inhibit the growth of a wide range of fungi. Used to treat fungal infections of the body and skin, including athlete’s foot, onychomycosis, ringworm, and vaginal candidiasis.

Question 43

barbiturates

Answer 43

Enhance the action of GABA, a neurotransmitter that inhibits the activity of nerve cells in the brain. Historically used in the treatment of anxiety, epilepsy, as anesthetics, and to induce sleep. Some are still used during surgery or to treat all types of seizures except absence seizures.

Question 44

BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase inhibitors

Answer 44

Used to treat chronic myelogenous leukemia.

Question 45

beta-adrenergic blocking agents

beta blockers

Answer 45

Used to treat angina, control abnormal heart rhythms, and to reduce high blood pressure. They may be used following a myocardial infarction to improve survival rates. May cause bronchial constriction.

Question 46

bile acid sequestrants

Answer 46

Used to reduce low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels.

Question 47

proton pump inhibitors

PPIs

Answer 47

Reduce the production of acid by the stomach by irreversibly blocking the actions of an enzyme responsible for acid production, H+/K+ ATPase, located in the parietal cells in the stomach wall. This allows any ulcers present in the esophagus, stomach, and duodenum to heal and helps prevent new ulcers from forming. Also used to treat other gastrointestinal disorders characterized by excessive acid secretion.