Medication
A substance used to prevent, treat, or manage a disease or other health condition. Medications may act on the body, on pathogens, or on both.
Pharmacodynamics: The study of how drugs affect the body, including their effects and mechanisms of action. It describes the effects medications produce after interacting with biological targets.
Active pharmaceutical ingredient: The component of a medicine that produces its intended pharmacological effect. It is the substance responsible for a medication’s principal therapeutic action.
Prescription drug: A medicine legally supplied only with authorization from a qualified prescriber. Prescription status distinguishes medicines requiring individualized clinical oversight.
Medical device: An instrument, apparatus, implant, or other product used for medical purposes, whose main intended action is not pharmacological. A device may treat the same condition without acting as a medicinal substance.
Pharmacokinetics: The study of how the body absorbs, distributes, metabolizes, and excretes drugs. It explains how medication concentrations change over time in the body.
Dosage form: The physical form in which a medicine is produced, such as a tablet, capsule, liquid, or injection. Form determines how medication is administered and released.
Over-the-counter drug: A medicine approved for purchase without a prescription when used according to its labeling. It contrasts with prescription medicines in access and oversight.
Dietary supplement: A product intended to supplement the diet with ingredients such as vitamins, minerals, herbs, or amino acids. Supplements are not necessarily approved or evaluated as medicines for treating disease.
Drug receptor: A biological molecule that binds a drug or signaling molecule and can trigger or block a cellular response. Many medications work by binding receptors and changing their activity.
Dose: The measured amount of a medicine administered at one time or over a specified period. Dose governs exposure and strongly affects benefit and risk.