Pharmacy and Pharmacology Portal

Caffeine is the most widely used psychoactive substance in the world.^{[citation needed]}

A drug, broadly speaking, is a substance used as a medicine or narcotic.^[1] There is no single, precise definition, as there are different meanings in medicine, government regulations, and colloquial usage.^[2] Image File history File links Portal. ... The word drug can mean several things: Medical drug: a pharmacologically active substance used as medication or recreationally (this meaning is primarily US English). ... Download high resolution version (1600x1200, 392 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (1600x1200, 392 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Caffeine is a xanthine alkaloid compound that acts as a stimulant in humans. ... For the chemical substances known as medicines, see medication. ... 19th century Heroin bottle This article is about the drug classification. ... For the chemical substances known as medicines, see medication. ... Government regulation involves the use of the law, mandated by the state, to produce outcomes which might not otherwise occur, prevent outcomes which might otherwise occur, produce or prevent outcomes in different places to what might otherwise occur, or produce or prevent outcomes in different timescales than would otherwise occur. ...

In pharmacology, Dictionary.com defines a drug as "a chemical substance used in the treatment, cure, prevention, or diagnosis of disease or used to otherwise enhance physical or mental well-being."^[2] Drugs may be prescribed for a limited duration, or on a regular basis for chronic disorders.^[3] Pharmacology (in Greek: pharmakon (φάρμακον) meaning drug, and lego (λέγω) to tell (about)) is the study of how drugs interact with living organisms to produce a change in function. ... A chemical substance is any material substance used in or obtained by a process in chemistry: A chemical compound is a substance consisting of two or more chemical elements that are chemically combined in fixed proportions. ... In medicine, a chronic disease is a disease that is long-lasting or recurrent. ...

Recreational drugs are chemical substances that affect the central nervous system, such as narcotics or hallucinogens.^[3] They may be used for perceived beneficial effects on perception, consciousness, personality, and behavior.^[3][4] Some recreational drugs can cause addiction and habituation.^[4] This article does not cite its references or sources. ... A diagram showing the CNS: 1. ... 19th century Heroin bottle This article is about the drug classification. ... Hallucinogenic drug - drugs that can alter sensory perceptions. ... In psychology and the cognitive sciences, perception is the process of acquiring, interpreting, selecting, and organizing sensory information. ... Consciousness is a characteristic of the mind generally regarded to comprise qualities such as subjectivity, self-awareness, sentience, sapience, and the ability to perceive the relationship between oneself and ones environment. ... Know Your Personality - a poster describing some of the theoretical aspects in the personality research. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Drug addiction, or dependency is the compulsive use of drugs, to the point where the user has no effective choice but to continue use. ...

Drugs are usually distinguished from endogenous biochemicals by being introduced from outside the organism.^{[citation needed]} For example, insulin is a hormone that is synthesized in the body; it is called a hormone when it is synthesized by the pancreas inside the body, but if it is introduced into the body from outside, it is called a drug.^{[citation needed]} Look up Endogenous in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Not to be confused with inulin. ...

Many natural substances such as beers, wines, and some mushrooms, blur the line between food and drugs, as when ingested they affect the functioning of both mind and body. For other uses, see Beer (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Wine (disambiguation). ... Psychedelic mushrooms redirects here. ... For other uses, see Mind (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Body (disambiguation). ...

[edit] Medication

Main article: Medication

A medication or medicine is a drug taken to cure and/or ameliorate any symptoms of an illness or medical condition, or may be used as preventive medicine that has future benefits but does not treat any existing or pre-existing diseases or symptoms. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Illness (sometimes referred to as ill-health) can be defined as a state of poor health. ... A 1930 Soviet poster propagating breast care. ...

Dispensing of medication is often regulated by governments into three categories — over-the-counter (OTC) medications, which are available in pharmacies and supermarkets without special restrictions, behind-the-counter (BTC), which are dispensed by a pharmacist without needing a doctor's prescription, and Prescription only medicines (POM), which must be prescribed by a licensed medical professional, usually a physician.^{[citation needed]} Over-the-counter (OTC) drugs are medicines that may be sold without a prescription, in contrast to prescription drugs. ... For other uses, see Pharmacy (disambiguation). ... The mortar and pestle is an international symbol of pharmacists and pharmacies. ... A prescription drug (or POM Prescription Only Medicine, in UK) is a licensed medicine that is regulated by legislation to require a prescription before it can be obtained. ... The delivery of modern health care depends on an expanding group of highly trained professionals coming together as an interdisciplinary team. ... For other uses, see Doctor. ...

In the UK, BTC medicines are called pharmacy medicines which can only be sold in registered pharmacies, by or under the supervision of a pharmacist.^{[citation needed]} However, the precise distinction between OTC and prescription drugs depends on the legal jurisdiction.^{[citation needed]} This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Medications are typically produced by pharmaceutical companies and are often patented to give the developer exclusive rights to produce them, but they can also be derived from naturally occurring substance in plants called herbal medicine.^{[citation needed]} Those that are not patented (or with expired patents) are called generic drugs since they can be produced by other companies without restrictions or licenses from the patent holder. For other uses, see Patent (disambiguation). ... The term Herbalism refers to folk and traditional medicinal practice based on the use of plants and plant extracts. ... A generic drug (pl. ...

Drugs, both medicinal and recreational, can be administered in a number of ways:

• Orally, as a liquid or solid, that is absorbed through the stomach.
• Inhaled, (breathed into the lungs), as a vapor.
• Injected as a liquid either intramuscular or intravenous (put under the skin, into a vein or muscle tissue with the use of a hypodermic needle).
• Rectally as a suppository, that is absorbed by the colon.
• Vaginally as a suppository, primarily to treat vaginal infections.
• Bolus, a substance into the stomach to dissolve slowly.

Many drugs can be administered in a variety of ways. Look up oral in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... In anatomy, the stomach is a bean-shaped hollow muscular organ of the gastrointestinal tract involved in the second phase of digestion, following mastication. ... Inhalation is the movement of air from the external environment, through the airways, into the alveoli during breathing. ... An injection is a method of putting liquid into the body with a hollow needle and a syringe which is pierced through the skin to a sufficient depth for the material to be forced into the body. ... Intramuscular injection is an injection of a substance directly into a muscle. ... An intravenous drip in a hospital Intravenous therapy or IV therapy is the administration of liquid substances directly into a vein. ... In the circulatory system, a vein is a blood vessel that carries blood toward the heart. ... For other uses of Muscles, see Muscles (disambiguation). ... Different bevels on hypodermic needles. ... The rectum (from the Latin rectum intestinum, meaning straight intestine) is the final straight portion of the large intestine in some mammals, and the gut in others, terminating in the anus. ... Four 500mg acetaminophen/paracetamol suppositories A suppository is a medicine that is inserted either into the rectum (rectal suppository) or into the vagina (vaginal suppository) where it melts. ... The vagina, (from Latin, literally sheath or scabbard ) is the tubular tract leading from the uterus to the exterior of the body in female placental mammals and marsupials, or to the cloaca in female birds, monotremes, and some reptiles. ... Four 500mg acetaminophen/paracetamol suppositories A suppository is a medicine that is inserted either into the rectum (rectal suppository) or into the vagina (vaginal suppository) where it melts. ...

[edit] Recreation

Main article: Recreational drug use

Further information: Prohibition (drugs)

Recreational drug use is typically the use of psychoactive drugs for recreational purposes rather than medical or spiritual purposes. Many governments across the world regulate and ban various recreational drugs, and the exact laws are often politically controversial. Canada is following the Netherlands' lead in largely decriminalizing marijuana.^{[citation needed]} This article does not cite its references or sources. ... For the general concept, see Prohibitionism. ... An assortment of psychoactive drugs A psychoactive drug or psychotropic substance is a chemical substance that acts primarily upon the central nervous system where it alters brain function, resulting in temporary changes in perception, mood, consciousness and behavior. ... “Fun” redirects here. ... For the chemical substances known as medicines, see medication. ... Spirituality, in a narrow sense, concerns itself with matters of the spirit. ... A Cannabis sativa plant The drug cannabis, also called marijuana, is produced from parts of the cannabis plant, primarily the cured flowers and gathered trichomes of the female plant. ...

[edit] Legal definition of drugs

Some governments define the term drug by law. In the United States, the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act definition of "drug" includes "articles intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease in man or other animals" and "articles (other than food) intended to affect the structure or any function of the body of man or other animals."^[5] Consistent with that definition, the U.S. separately defines narcotic drugs and controlled substances, which may include non-drugs, and explicitly excludes tobacco and alcoholic beverages.^[6] The United States Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (abbreviated as FFDCA, FDCA, or FD&C), is a set of laws passed by Congress in 1938 giving authority to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to oversee the safety of food, drugs, and cosmetics. ...

[edit] Etymology

From Dutch droog = "dry", referring to medicinal plants preserved by drying them.

[edit] See also

Comparison of the perceived harm for various psychoactive drugs from a poll among medical psychiatrists specialized in addiction treatment[1] This article is an overview of the nontherapeutic use of alcohol and drugs of abuse. ... Drug addiction, or dependency is the compulsive use of drugs, to the point where the user has no effective choice but to continue use. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Pharmacology. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The term narcotic, derived from the Greek word for stupor, originally referred to a variety of substances that induced sleep (such state is narcosis). ... HIV protease in a complex with the protease inhibitor ritonavir. ... A generic drug (pl. ... Panamanian motor vessel Gatun during the largest cocaine bust in United States Coast Guard history (20 tons), off the coast of Panama. ... Lifestyle drugs are drugs created to improve the patients quality of life by addressing relatively minor non-life threatening conditions such as head colds, headaches, baldness, impotence, wrinkles, and obesity. ... This multi-page article lists drugs alphabetically by name. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The technical term placebo is precisely applied in the specialized medical domains of pharmacology, nosology, and aetiology to denote the pharmacologically inert, dummy simulator of an active drug that serves as a scientific control in clinical trials designed to determine the clinical efficacy of that particular drug. ... A prescription drug is a licensed medicine that is regulated by legislation to require a prescription before it can be obtained. ... There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ... An assortment of psychoactive drugs A psychoactive drug or psychotropic substance is a chemical substance that acts primarily upon the central nervous system where it alters brain function, resulting in temporary changes in perception, mood, consciousness and behavior. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ...

[edit] References

1. ^ "Drug." WordNet 3.0, Princeton University, via dictionary.com. Retrieved on 2007-09-20.
2. ^ ^{a b} "Drug." Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1), Random House, Inc., via dictionary.com. Retrieved on 2007-09-20.
3. ^ ^{a b c} "Drug." The American Heritage Science Dictionary, Houghton Mifflin Company, via dictionary.com. Retrieved on 2007-09-20.
4. ^ ^{a b} "Drug." Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Inc., via dictionary.com. Retrieved on 2007-09-20.
5. ^ "Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act" (Website.) U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Retrieved on 2007-09-24.
6. ^ "21 USC Sec. 802." (Website.) U.S. Department of Justice. Retrieved on 2007-09-24.

Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 263rd day of the year (264th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... // Random House is a publishing house based in New York City. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 263rd day of the year (264th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Houghton Mifflin Company is a leading educational publisher in the United States. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 263rd day of the year (264th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 263rd day of the year (264th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 267th day of the year (268th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 267th day of the year (268th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

[edit] External links

• Get rid of drugs. Drug Addiction Treatment Useful resource website with detailed information on drugs and how to treat drug addiction. "Say NO to drugs" May 4 2007
• The Cult of Pharmacology: How America Became the World's Most Troubled Drug Culture by Richard DeGrandpre, Duke University Press, 2006.
• 'don't drug + drive' German web-site providing information on the influence of recreational drugs in driving.