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Glossary of Pharmacology Terms beginning with letter P
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painkiller noun A drug that numbs the pain in the body papain noun A proteolytic enzyme in papaya fruit. May aid in digestion and have other health benefits. papaverine noun A non-addictive derivative of opium used in medicine to relieve muscle spasms, as a vasodilator and in some forms of erectile dysfunction. paregoric noun a painkiller; a medicine which soothes or relieves pain 1922: Chloroform. Overdose of laudanum. Sleeping draughts. Lovephiltres. Paragoric poppysyrup bad for cough. Clogs the pores or the phlegm. " James Joyce, Ulysses 2004: My local doctor promises to accompany me ashore, spare no expense to obtain powerful paregorics & remain at my bedside until my recovery is compleat, even if Prophetess must leave for California without us. " David Mitchell, Cloud Atlas pastille noun A soft flavoured candy. A medicinal pill, originally compressed herbs. A throat pastille is a large candy-like lozenge, which, when sucked, releases oils to soothe a sore throat and sometimes vapors to help unblock the nose or sinuses. A small granular half Spheroid piece of material. patent medicine noun A medicine that is protected by a patent and can be bought without a prescription. peddle verb (peddl, es) to sell things, especially door to door to sell illegal narcotics penicillamine noun (chemistry) a breakdown product of penicillin used as a chelating drug to treat poisoning by heavy metals etc penicillin noun (pharmaceutical drug) Any of a group of broad-spectrum antibiotics obtained from Penicillium molds or synthesized; they have a beta-lactam structure; most are active against gram-positive bacteria and used in the treatment of various infections and diseases. percolation noun the seepage or filtration of a liquid through a porous substance peyote noun A small, spineless cactus (Lophophora williamsii) found from southwest United States to central Mexico that produces buttonlike tubercle , tubercles that can be chewed as a narcotic. Also called mescal. A mescal button produced by the plant. The name-sake source of mescaline. pharmaceutical noun (medicine) a pharmaceutical or pharmacological preparation or product; a drug. adjective (medicine) of, or relating to pharmacy or pharmacists. pharmacognosy noun The branch of pharmacology that studies medical substances that are extracted from natural sources, including drugs derived from plants and herbs used for medicinal purposes. Also, the branch of pharmacology dealign with recognizing the natural substances that have medicinal uses. pharmacokinetics noun (pharmacology) A branch of pharmacology concerned with the rate at which drugs are absorbed, distributed, metabolized, and eliminated by the body. pharmacology noun (medicine) The science that studies the effects of chemical compounds on living animals, especially the science of the manufacture, use and effects of medicinal drugs. The medicinal characteristics of a specific drug. pharmacy noun (pharmacies) A place where prescription drugs are dispensed, a dispensary. The science of medicinal substances comprising pharmaceutics, pharmaceutical chemistry, pharmacology, phytochemistry and forensics. The occupation of a pharmacist. phenacetin noun Any of a class of analgesic, antifebrin and antipyretic drugs derived from acetanilide. category:Pharmaceutical drugs phencyclidine noun (chemistry) A veterinary anesthetic, used illegally in humans as a hallucinogen phenoxybenzamine noun (medicine) an alpha-blocker and vasodilator phentolamine noun (pharmaceutical drug) A drug, injected into the penis, to treat erectile dysfunction. phenylbutazone noun (pharmaceutical drug) An anti-inflammatory and analgesic drug used to treat arthritis and gout. phenylpropanolamine noun (pharmaceutical drug) An adrenergic drug use to relieve allergic reactions, to treat respiratory infections and to suppress the appetite. physic noun (countable) A medicine or drug, especially a cathartic or purgative. (uncountable) The art or profession of healing disease; medicine. verb (physics, physicking, physicked) (transitive) To cure or heal; to treat or administer medicine, especially to purge. pill noun A small portion of a drug or drugs to be taken orally, usually of roughly cylindrical shape, often coated to prolong dissolution or ease swallowing. 1864, Benjamin Ellis, The Medical Formulary http://books.google.com/books?vid=OCLC14843090&id=pHoMvHRmrlIC&pg=PA170&lpg=PA170&dq="take+two+pills"&as_brr=1 :Take two pills every hour in the apyrexia of intermittent fever, until eight are taken. the pill: A pill which functions as a contraceptive. 1986, Jurriaan Plesman, Getting Off the Hook: Treatment of Drug Addiction and Social Disorders Through Body and Mind http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN1862525919&id=cIbpj59s-KAC&pg=PA27&lpg=PA27&dq="on+the+pill"&as_brr=1&sig=z-8oEUpPPJD-kIIWP8AUxG4Obic :Many specialists are requesting that this vitamin be included in all contraceptive pills, as women on the pill have a tendency to be depressed. A contemptible, annoying, or unpleasant person. 2000, Susan Isaacs, Shining Through http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0061030155&id=6_1FJWFEYGoC&pg=PA172&lpg=PA172&dq="a+real+pill"&sig=RCUR5O3MhNXeq8rMOnx9-LR5Mfo :Instead, I saw a woman in her mid-fifties, who was a real ; while all the others had managed a decent "So pleased," or even a plain "Hello," Ginger just inclined her head, as if she was doing a Queen Mary imitation. A small piece of any substance, for example a ball of fibres formed on the surface of a textile by rubbing. 1999, Wally Lamb, I Know This Much Is True http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0060987561&id=LOYeA9GmrEwC&pg=PA201&lpg=PA201&dq="sweater+pills"&sig=U11GOkTpfHlqyGyIdk7ZNZ0GNuI :One sleeve, threadbare and loaded with what my mother called "sweater pills," hung halfway to the floor. (context, archaic, baseball, slang) A baseball term meaning the ball. 2002, John Klima, Pitched Battle: 35 of Baseball's Greatest Duels from the Mound http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0786412038&id=G126RsLD3MsC&pg=PA44&lpg=PA44&dq="threw+the+pill"&sig=NmyoxWN_bP5AHc9imVPMTxY7lvw :Mr. Fisher contributed to the Sox effort when he threw the past second baseman Rath after Felsch hit him a comebacker. A comical or entertaining person. (obsolete) A small inlet or creek of a tidal river, especially one with a landing stage or wharf. verb (intransitive, textiles) Of a woven fabric surface, to form small matted balls of fiber. 1997, Jo Sharp, Knitted Sweater Style: Inspirations in Color http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN1561581895&id=l5h-cGU5HUYC&pg=PA11&lpg=PA11&dq=sweater+pilling&sig=6gfLWBL1QHVQZmbSYhJ4oipm8Kc :During processing, inferior short fibers (which can cause pilling and itching) are removed to enhance the natural softness of the yarn and to improve its wash-and-wear performance. To form into the shape of a pill. Pilling is a skill rarely used by modern pharmacists. To medicate with pills. She pills* herself with all sorts of herbal medicines.* pilocarpine noun (biochemistry) An muscarinic alkaloid obtained from the leaves of tropical American shrubs from the genus Pilocarpus. pituitary noun (plural pituitaries) The pituitary gland. (medicine) An extract from the pituitary gland. adjective Of or relating to the pituitary gland. P.O. abbreviation (infl, en, abbreviation) post office poison noun A substance that is harmful or lethal to a living organism. We used a to kill the weeds. Something that harms a person or thing. Gossip is a malicious . (idiomatic) A drink; liquor. verb (transitive) To use poison to kill or paralyse somebody : The assassin poisoned* the king.* (transitive) To pollute; to cause some part of the environment to become poisonous : That factory is poisoning* the river.* (transitive) To cause something to become much worse : Suspicion will their relationship. : He poisoned* the mood in the room with his non-stop criticism.* (transitive) To cause someone to hate or to have unfair negative opinions : She's poisoned* him against all his old friends.* polymyxin noun Any of several toxic antibiotics, derived from the soil bacterium Bacillus polymyxa, used to treat infections by gram-negative bacteria Poppy proper noun (mostly U.K. ) (given name, female), a flower name used since the end of the nineteenth century. posology noun (pharmacy) The study of the dosages of drugs, especially the determination of appropriate dosages. prednisolone noun (pharmaceutical drug) A synthetic glucocorticoid steroid, similar to hydrocortisone, used as an anti-inflammatory, immunosuppressive, and antiallergic drug. prednisone noun (steroid drug) A synthetic corticosteroid used to treat a large number of conditions. prepare verb (prepar, ing) (transitive) To make ready for a specific future purpose. We prepared* the spacecraft for takeoff.* (transitive) To make ready for eating or drinking; to cook. We prepared* a fish for dinner.* (intransitive) To make oneself ready; to get ready, make preparation. We prepared* for a bumpy ride.* (transitive) To produce or make by combining elements; to synthesize, compound. She prepared* a meal from what was left in the cupboards.* progesterone noun (steroid hormone) A steroid hormone, secreted by the ovaries, whose function is to prepare the uterus for the implantation of a fertilized ovum and to maintain pregnancy. (steroid drug) A synthetic version of the compound, used in contraceptive pills and other pharmaceutical products. prophylactic noun A medicine which preserves or defends against disease; a preventive. American usage only (dated) Specifically, a prophylactic condom. 1977, Human Life Center, International Review of Natural Family Planning, Human Life Center, St. John's University (1977), p. 2, It is not clear whether such education is to be directed to homosexuals (for whom prophylactics are not a contraceptive) or to heterosexuals as well (for whom prophylactics are a contraceptive). 1994, Mary Louise Roberts, Civilization Without Sexes: reconstructing gender in postwar France, 1917-1927, University of Chicago Press (1994), p. 96, Given the widespread use of coitus interruptus and male prophylactics as contraceptive practices in France … 2000, Peter Parnell and John Irving, The Cider House Rules: Here in St. Cloud's, Dramatists Play Service, Inc. (2000), p. 46, Some men put the on just the tip of the penis: this is a mistake, because the prophylactic will come off. adjective prophylactical, Prophylactical. proprietary adjective Relating to property or ownership. the rights Of or relating to the quality of being an owner. the class Manufactured exclusively by the owner of intellectual property rights (IPR), as with a patent or trade secret. The continuous profitability of the company is based on its many products. Privately owned. a lake prostaglandin noun (biochemistry) Any of a group of naturally occurring lipids derived from the C₂₀ acid prostanoic acid; they have a number of physiological functions and may be considered to be hormones. 2001: This enzyme generates an inflammatory mediator known as , which triggers pain and other aspects of inflammation. " Leslie Iversen, Drugs: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford 2001, p. 51) pseudoephedrine noun A sympathomimetic alkaloid commonly used as a decongestant; a chemical compound, an isomer of ephedrine, with the formula C₁₀H₁₅NO. category:Pharmaceutical drugs psychedelic noun Any psychoactive substance (such as LSD or Psilocybin) which, when consume, consumed, causes perception, perceptual changes (sometimes erratic and uncontrollable), visual hallucination, and altered awareness of the body and mind. adjective Of, containing or generating hallucinations, distortions of perception, altered awareness etc psychoactive adjective (pharmacology) Affecting the mind or mental processes. psychopharmacology noun (pharmacology) The branch of pharmacology which pertains to the psychoactive aspects of drugs. psychotomimetic noun (pharmacology) A psychotomimetic drug (such as LSD). adjective (pharmacology) That induces a temporary state of altered perception and symptoms similar to those of psychosis (such as hallucinations). psychotropic noun (pharmacology) A psychotropic drug or agent. adjective (pharmacology) Affecting the mind or mental processes. purge noun the act of purging evacuation of the bowels or of pipes forcible removal of undesirable people from political activity, etc. verb (purg, ing) (transitive) to clean thoroughly; to cleanse; to rid of impurity, impurities (transitive) (religion) to free from sin, guilt, or the burden or responsibility of misdeeds (transitive) (medicine) to void the bowel (transitive) (law) to clear of a charge, suspicion, or imputation pyrethrum noun a perennial African plant, Chrysanthemum cinerariaefolium, that is the source of the pyrethrin insecticides pyrimethamine noun (medicine) a folic acid antagonist, used in the prophylactic treatment of malaria

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