Medication

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A medication is a licenced drug taken to cure or reduce symptoms of an illnessor medical condition. Medications are generally divided into two groups -- over the counter (OTC) medications, which are available in pharmaciesand supermarkets without special restrictions, and Prescription only medicines (POM), which must be prescribed by a physician. Most OTC medication is generally considered to be safe enough that most persons will not hurt themselves accidentally by taking it as instructed. Many countries, such as the UKhave a third category of pharmacy medicineswhich can only be sold in registered pharmacies, by or under the supervision of a pharmacist. However, the precise distinction between OTC and prescription depends on the legal jurisdiction. Medications are typically produced by pharmaceutical companies and are often patented. Those that are not patented are called generic drugs.

Some common medications

• Anti-diabetic drugs
• Asthma medication
• Cough medicine
• Diarrhearelief medicine (such as Loperamide)
• Nasal spray(such as Xylometazoline)
• Anti-Inflammatory Medications
• Anti-Pyretic Medications
• Gastrointestinal Medications
• Psychiatric Medications
• Hair Medications

See also

• Pharmacology
• Herbology
• Herbalism

External links

• American Chronic Pain Association (ACPA)
• Consumer drug information from the FDA
• Medicinal directoryaf:Geneesmiddel

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This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
It uses material from the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medication Wikipedia article Medication.