drugs
Overview of Drugs
Drug groups
Understanding what group a drug belongs to is also useful. Broadly, drugs are classified by therapeutic group—that is, by what disorder or symptom they are used to treat. For example, drugs used to treat high blood pressure are called antihypertensives (hypertension is the medical term for high blood pressure), and drugs used to treat nausea are called antiemetics (emesis is the medical term for vomiting). Within each therapeutic group, drugs are categorized by classes. Some classes are based on how the drugs work in the body to produce their effect. For example, diuretics, calcium channel blockers, beta-blockers, and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors are all classes of antihypertensives that work differently. 