medication medication a medication (also called medicament, medicine, pharmaceutical drug, medicinal drug or simply drug) is a drug used to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent disease. drug therapy (pharmacotherapy) is an important part of the medical field and relies on the science of pharmacology for continual advancement and on pharmacy for appropriate management. "pharmaceutical" redirects here. for other uses, see pharmacy, pharmacology, and pharmaceutical industry. medicationpackages of medicationother namesmedicine, drug, pharmaceutical, pharmaceutical preparation, pharmaceutical product, medicinal product, medicament, remedy a medication is a prescription drug used to treat a disease. drugs are classified in multiple ways. one of the key divisions is by level of control, which distinguishes prescription drugs (those that a pharmacist dispenses only on the order of a physician, physician assistant, or qualified nurse) from over-the-counter drugs (those that consumers can order for themselves). another key distinction is between traditional small molecule drugs, usually derived from chemical synthesis, and biopharmaceuticals, which include recombinant proteins, vaccines, blood products used therapeutically (such as ivig), gene therapy, monoclonal antibodies and cell therapy (for instance, stem cell therapies). other ways to classify medicines are by mode of action, route of administration, biological system affected, or therapeutic effects. an elaborate and widely used classification system is the anatomical therapeutic chemical classification system. the world health organization keeps a list of essential medicines. drug discovery and drug development are complex and expensive endeavors undertaken by pharmaceutical companies, academic scientists, and governments. as a result of this complex path from discovery to commercialization, partnering has become a standard practice for advancing drug candidates through development pipelines. governments generally regulate what drugs can be marketed, how drugs are marketed, and in some jurisdictions, drug pricing. controversies have arisen over drug pricing and disposal of used drugs. definition medication is a medicine or a chemical compound used to treat or cure illness. according to encyclopædia britannica, medication is "a substance used in treating a disease or relieving pain". as defined by the national cancer institute, dosage forms of medication can include tablets, capsules, liquids, creams, and patches. medications can be given in different ways, such as by mouth, by infusion into a vein, or by drops put into the ear or eye. a medication that does not contain an active ingredient and is used in research studies is called a placebo. in europe, the term is "medicinal product", and it is defined by eu law as: "any substance or combination of substances presented as having properties for treating or preventing disease in human beings; or" "any substance or combination of substances which may be used in or administered to human beings either with a view to restoring, correcting or modifying physiological functions by exerting a pharmacological, immunological or metabolic action or to making a medical diagnosis.": 36 in the us, a "drug" is: a substance (other than food) intended to affect the structure or any function of the body. a substance intended for use as a component of a medicine but not a device or a component, part, or accessory of a device. a substance intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease. a substance recognized by an official pharmacopeia or formulary. biological products are included within this definition and are generally covered by the same laws and regulations, but differences exist regarding their manufacturing processes (chemical process versus biological process). usage drug use among elderly americans has been studied; in a group of 2377 people with an average age of 71 surveyed between 2005 and 2006, 84% took at least one prescription drug, 44% took at least one over-the-counter (otc) drug, and 52% took at least one dietary supplement; in a group of 2245 elderly americans (average age of 71) surveyed over the period 2010 – 2011, those percentages were 88%, 38%, and 64%. classification main article: drug class one of the key classifications is between traditional small molecule drugs; usually derived from chemical synthesis and biological medical products; which include recombinant proteins, vaccines, blood products used therapeutically (such as ivig), gene therapy, and cell therapy (for instance, stem cell therapies). pharmaceuticals or drugs or medicines are classified into various other groups besides their origin on the basis of pharmacological properties like mode of action and their pharmacological action or activity, such as by chemical properties, mode or route of administration, biological system affected, or therapeutic effects. an elaborate and widely used classification system is the anatomical therapeutic chemical classification system (atc system). the world health organization keeps a list of essential medicines. a sampling of classes of medicine includes: antipyretics: reducing fever (pyrexia/pyresis) analgesics: reducing pain (painkillers) antimalarial drugs: treating malaria antibiotics: inhibiting germ growth antiseptics: prevention of germ growth near burns, cuts,and wounds mood stabilizers: lithium and valproate hormone replacements: premarin oral contraceptives: enovid, "biphasic" pill, and "triphasic" pill stimulants: methylphenidate, amphetamine tranquilizers: meprobamate, chlorpromazine, reserpine, chlordiazepoxide, diazepam, and alprazolam statins: lovastatin, pravastatin, and simvastatin pharmaceuticals may also be described as "specialty", independent of other classifications, which is an ill-defined class of drugs that might be difficult to administer, require special handling during administration, require patient monitoring during and immediately after administration, have particular regulatory requirements restricting their use, and are generally expensive relative to other drugs. types of medicines for the digestive system lower digestive tract: laxatives, antispasmodics, antidiarrhoeals, bile acid sequestrants, opioids. upper digestive tract: antacids, reflux suppressants, antiflatulents, antidopaminergics, proton pump inhibitors (ppis), h2-receptor antagonists, cytoprotectants, prostaglandin analogues. for the cardiovascular system affecting blood pressure/(antihypertensive drugs): ace inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers, beta-blockers, α blockers, calcium channel blockers, thiazide diuretics, loop diuretics, aldosterone inhibitors. coagulation: anticoagulants, heparin, antiplatelet drugs, fibrinolytics, anti-hemophilic factors, haemostatic drugs. general: β-receptor blockers ("beta blockers"), calcium channel blockers, diuretics, cardiac glycosides, antiarrhythmics, nitrate, antianginals, vasoconstrictors, vasodilators. hmg-coa reductase inhibitors (statins) for lowering ldl cholesterol inhibitors: hypolipidaemic agents. for the central nervous system drugs affecting the central nervous system include psychedelics, hypnotics, anaesthetics, antipsychotics, eugeroics, antidepressants (including tricyclic antidepressants, monoamine oxidase inhibitors, lithium salts, and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (ssris)), antiemetics, anticonvulsants/antiepileptics, anxiolytics, barbiturates, movement disorder (e.g., parkinson's disease) drugs, nootropics, stimulants (including amphetamines), benzodiazepines, cyclopyrrolones, dopamine antagonists, antihistamines, cholinergics, anticholinergics, emetics, cannabinoids, and 5-ht (serotonin) antagonists. for pain