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Anticoagulants

This type of drug prevents the clotting (coagulation) of blood. Anticoagulants are used to prevent the formation of clots or to break up clots in blood vessels in conditions such as thrombosis and embolism. They are also used to prevent coagulation in preserved blood used for transfusions. Heparin is a natural anticoagulant produced by liver cells and some white blood cells.

Table 4-4 gives examples of anticoagulants.

Table 4.4 Anti Coagulants, Anti Convulsants, Antidepressants, Antidiabetic &

Antihistamines

Anticonvulsants

These drugs treat symptoms of depression. They can elevate mood, increase physical activity and mental alertness, and improve appetite and sleep patterns. Many antidepressants are also mild sedatives and treat mild forms of depression associated with anxiety. One of the most commonly prescribed antidepressants is Prozac (fluoxetine). It works by allowing a neurotransmitter, serotonin, into nerve cells.

Table 4-4 gives the names of some antidepressants.

Antidiabetics

These drugs are used to treat diabetes mellitus (a condition in which the hormone insulin is either not produced by the pancreas or not effective in the body). Patients with type I (insulin dependent) diabetes must receive daily injections of insulin of insulin. Patients with type II (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes are given oral antidiabetic drugs (sulfonylureas agents) that stimulate the production and release of insulin by the pancreas. A newly approved drug called metformin is used as an option to sulfonylureas. It suppresses glucose production in the liver and increases tissue sensitivity to insulin without stimulating insulin secretion.

An insulin pump is a device strapped to the patient’s waist that periodically delivers (via needle) the desired amount of insulin.

Table 4-4 lists antidiabetic drugs.

Antihistamines

These drugs block the action of histamine, which is normally released in the body in allergic reactions. Histamine cause allergic symptoms such as hives, bronchial asthma, lay fever, and in severe cases anaphylactic shock (dyspnea, hypotension, and loss of consciousness). Antihistamines cannot cure the allergic reaction, but they can relieve its symptoms. Many antihistamines have strong antiemetic (prevention of nausea) activity and are used to prevent motion sickness. The most common side effects of antihistamines are drowsiness, blurred vision, tremors, digestive upset, and lack of motor coordination.

Table 4.4 lists common antihistamines.

Cardiovascular Drugs

Cardiovascular drugs act on the heart or blood vessels. Those drugs that act on the heart by increasing the force and the efficiency of the heartbeat are called cardiotonic drugs. Cardiotonic drugs are useful in congestive heart disease. Other drugs, called antiarrhythmics, such as beta-blockers and calcium blockers, correct abnormal heart rhythms. These drugs, along with other drugs, are also effective in preventing angina (chest pain due to insufficient oxygen reaching heart muscle). The drugs that prevent angina are called antianginal medications.

One type of drug that affects blood vessels is an antihypertensive. Antihypertensive vasodilators dilate the walls of blood vessels to lower blood pressure. Diuretics lower blood pressure by promoting the kidney to excrete urine, so that more fluid leaves the body. ACE inhibitors reduce hypertension by preventing the conversion of angiotensin I to angiotensin II, which is a powerful vasopressor (vasoconstrictor).

Vasoconstrictor drugs narrow the walls of blood vessels and thereby raise blood pressure. These drugs are used in cardiac and respiratory failure and in bronchial asthma (they dilate the bronchial tubes) and to prolong the action of local anesthetics.

Cholesterol-lowering drugs decrease the breakdown of body fats by reducing the amount of fat manufactured by the liver and increasing the excretion of bile acids (and cholesterol) in the stool. These drugs are prescribed for people with very high blood cholesterol levels who have nor responded to dietary changes. Table 4-5 gives examples of the different types of cardiovascular drugs.

Table 4-5 Cardiovascular Drugs

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