Drug
From DrugPedia: A Wikipedia for Drug discovery
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* Prescription Drug | * Prescription Drug | ||
A prescription drug is a licensed medicine that is regulated by legislation to require a prescription before it can be obtained. The term is used to distinguish it from over-the-counter drugs which can be obtained without a prescription. Different jurisdictions have different definitions of what constitutes a prescription drug. | A prescription drug is a licensed medicine that is regulated by legislation to require a prescription before it can be obtained. The term is used to distinguish it from over-the-counter drugs which can be obtained without a prescription. Different jurisdictions have different definitions of what constitutes a prescription drug. | ||
- | * Non-Prescription | + | * Non-Prescription Drug |
A prescription drug is sold legally without a physician's prescription; over-the-counter. | A prescription drug is sold legally without a physician's prescription; over-the-counter. | ||
+ | * Lifestyle Drug | ||
+ | A lifestyle drug is a medication designed to improve the patient's quality of life by addressing relatively minor and non-life threatening conditions such as baldness, impotence, wrinkles, and obesity. Antidepressants are also sometimes called lifestyle drugs. |
Revision as of 06:18, 11 August 2008
A drug, broadly speaking, is any chemical substance that, when absorbed into the body of a living organism, alters normal bodily function. There is no single, precise definition, as there are different meanings in medicine, government regulations, and colloquial usage.
Types of Drugs
- Prescription Drug
A prescription drug is a licensed medicine that is regulated by legislation to require a prescription before it can be obtained. The term is used to distinguish it from over-the-counter drugs which can be obtained without a prescription. Different jurisdictions have different definitions of what constitutes a prescription drug.
- Non-Prescription Drug
A prescription drug is sold legally without a physician's prescription; over-the-counter.
- Lifestyle Drug
A lifestyle drug is a medication designed to improve the patient's quality of life by addressing relatively minor and non-life threatening conditions such as baldness, impotence, wrinkles, and obesity. Antidepressants are also sometimes called lifestyle drugs.