Drug classes
Drug classes: how a family of medicines works, what it targets in the body, which conditions it treats and which medications on this site belong to it. Educational, not prescribing advice.
Drug Interaction CheckerClasses by therapeutic areaComparisonsAll clinical tools
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A
ACE inhibitors
Medicines ending in -pril that block the enzyme which makes angiotensin II, lowering blood pressure, unloading a failing heart and protecting the kidneys in…
Angiotensin receptor blockers
Medicines ending in -sartan that block the receptor angiotensin II acts on. They do the same job as ACE inhibitors without the cough, and are the usual…
Anticoagulants
Medicines that slow the clotting cascade to prevent and treat clots in veins and the heart: strokes in atrial fibrillation, deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary…
Antihistamines
Medicines that block histamine's H1 receptors to relieve hay fever, hives and itching. Newer members (cetirizine, loratadine, fexofenadine) cause little…
Antiplatelet drugs
Medicines that stop platelets clumping into the clots that block arteries. The backbone of treatment after heart attacks, strokes and stents.
B
Beta blockers
Medicines ending in -olol that shield the heart from adrenaline, slowing it and reducing its oxygen demand. Core treatment for angina, after heart attacks, in…
Biguanides
Metformin is the only biguanide in routine use and the first-line tablet for type 2 diabetes: it lowers glucose without causing hypoglycaemia or weight gain.
Bisphosphonates
Medicines that slow bone loss by disabling the cells that dissolve bone, cutting hip and spine fractures in osteoporosis and treating Paget's disease and…
Bronchodilators
Inhaled medicines that relax the muscle around the airways within minutes (salbutamol, terbutaline) or for 12-24 hours (salmeterol, formoterol, and the…
C
Calcium channel blockers
Medicines that relax the muscle in artery walls (and, for some members, slow the heart) by blocking the calcium channels those muscles need to contract. Used…
Contrast agents
Substances given to make blood vessels, organs, the gut or joints stand out on imaging: iodinated agents for X-ray and CT, gadolinium agents for MRI,…
Corticosteroids
Synthetic versions of cortisol that switch off inflammation of any cause: inhaled for asthma, as tablets or injections for flares of many diseases, and as…
D
I
Influenza vaccines
Seasonal vaccines against influenza A and B, reformulated every year: inactivated injected vaccines for most people and a live attenuated nasal spray for…
Insulins
Injected replacements for the hormone the pancreas no longer makes or cannot make enough of: essential in type 1 diabetes and used in type 2 diabetes when…
L
M
N
Nitrates
Vasodilators that relieve angina within minutes by relaxing veins and coronary arteries. Available as a spray for attacks and as long-acting tablets for…
Non-opioid analgesics
First-line painkillers without opioid or anti-inflammatory action: paracetamol (acetaminophen) above all, safe at normal doses for most people and most types…
NSAIDs
Painkillers that also reduce inflammation and fever: ibuprofen, naproxen, diclofenac and the COX-2 selective coxibs. Excellent for short-term musculoskeletal…
O
P
Penicillins
The oldest family of antibiotics and still the first choice for many chest, ear, throat, skin and dental infections: amoxicillin, co-amoxiclav, flucloxacillin…
Proton pump inhibitors
The strongest acid-reducing medicines (omeprazole, lansoprazole, pantoprazole, esomeprazole), which heal ulcers and reflux by shutting down the acid pumps in…
S
SSRIs
The most widely used antidepressants (sertraline, citalopram, escitalopram, fluoxetine, paroxetine), also first-line for anxiety disorders, panic, OCD and PTSD.
Statins
The main cholesterol-lowering medicines. They cut LDL cholesterol by 30-55% and reduce heart attacks and strokes in anyone at raised cardiovascular risk.