Not medical advice. This site is general information only. In an emergency call your local emergency number. For advice about your own health, speak to a doctor, pharmacist or other qualified health professional.
Late 20th Century
91 medications
Azithromycin
A macrolide antibiotic with a long half life that permits infrequent dosing and short treatment courses. The Z...
Ciprofloxacin
A fluoroquinolone antibiotic with broad spectrum activity. Ciprofloxacin gained fame during the 2001 anthrax a...
Celecoxib
A selective COX 2 inhibitor that reduces pain and inflammation with less stomach irritation than traditional N...
Buprenorphine
A partial opioid agonist that treats opioid addiction and chronic pain. Buprenorphine, sold with naloxone as S...
Atorvastatin
A statin medication that lowers LDL cholesterol by inhibiting HMG CoA reductase, the rate limiting enzyme in c...
Simvastatin
A statin derived from a fermentation product of Aspergillus terreus. Simvastatin or Zocor treats elevated chol...
Lisinopril
An ACE inhibitor that is one of the most prescribed medications in the US. Lisinopril treats high blood pressu...
Enalapril
An ACE inhibitor that was one of the first successful drugs in its class. Enalapril or Vasotec treats high blo...
Carvedilol
A third generation beta blocker that blocks both beta and alpha receptors. Carvedilol or Coreg treats heart fa...
Amlodipine
A calcium channel blocker and one of the most prescribed medications in the world. Amlodipine or Norvasc treat...
Nifedipine
A dihydropyridine calcium channel blocker used for high blood pressure and angina. Nifedipine was the first dr...
Losartan
The first angiotensin receptor blocker or ARB, developed by DuPont. Losartan treats high blood pressure and he...
Valsartan
An angiotensin receptor blocker that treats high blood pressure and heart failure. Valsartan or Diovan is also...
Clopidogrel
An antiplatelet medication that prevents blood clots in arteries. Clopidogrel or Plavix treats patients after ...
Metformin
The first line oral medication for type 2 diabetes. Metformin reduces glucose production in the liver and impr...
Glipizide
A sulfonylurea that stimulates the pancreas to produce more insulin. Glipizide treats type 2 diabetes by closi...
Pioglitazone
An insulin sensitizer that activates PPAR gamma receptors. Pioglitazone or Actos treats type 2 diabetes by imp...
Acarbose
A medication that delays carbohydrate absorption in the intestine. Acarbose treats type 2 diabetes by inhibiti...
Hepatitis B Vaccine
The first vaccine against a sexually transmitted infection and the first anti cancer vaccine, as hepatitis B c...
Acyclovir
One of the first selective antiviral drugs. Acyclovir treats herpes simplex virus infections including cold so...
Oseltamivir
An antiviral medication for influenza, better known as Tamiflu. Oseltamivir treats influenza A and B by inhibi...
Valacyclovir
A prodrug of acyclovir with much better oral absorption. Valacyclovir or Valtrex converts to acyclovir in the ...
Lamivudine
A nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor used for both HIV and hepatitis B. Lamivudine or 3TC was one of t...
Fluoxetine
One of the first SSRI antidepressants and the first to achieve wide success, marketed as Prozac. Fluoxetine re...
Sertraline
An SSRI antidepressant marketed as Zoloft. Sertraline treats depression, anxiety disorders, PTSD, and OCD. It ...
Venlafaxine
A serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor or SNRI. Venlafaxine or Effexor treats depression and anxiety di...
Bupropion
An atypical antidepressant that inhibits dopamine and norepinephrine reuptake. Bupropion or Wellbutrin treats ...
Mirtazapine
A tetracyclic antidepressant that enhances serotonin and norepinephrine activity. Mirtazapine or Remeron treat...
Alprazolam
A short acting benzodiazepine marketed as Xanax. Alprazolam treats panic disorder and generalized anxiety. It ...
Quetiapine
An atypical antipsychotic marketed as Seroquel. Quetiapine treats schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and is used...
Olanzapine
An atypical antipsychotic marketed as Zyprexa. Olanzapine treats schizophrenia and bipolar mania. It is highly...
Risperidone
An atypical antipsychotic marketed as Risperdal. Risperidone treats schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and irrit...
Clozapine
The most effective antipsychotic for treatment resistant schizophrenia. Clozapine or Clozaril was the first at...
Omeprazole
A proton pump inhibitor that dramatically reduces stomach acid production. Omeprazole or Prilosec was the firs...
Pantoprazole
A proton pump inhibitor similar to omeprazole. Pantoprazole or Protonix treats GERD and stomach ulcers. It has...
Ranitidine
An H2 receptor blocker that was one of the most used medications in the world. Ranitidine or Zantac reduced st...
Famotidine
An H2 receptor blocker that replaced ranitidine after its withdrawal. Famotidine or Pepcid treats GERD and sto...
Ondansetron
A 5 HT3 receptor antagonist that revolutionized nausea treatment. Ondansetron or Zofran prevents nausea and vo...
Mesalamine
An anti inflammatory medication for inflammatory bowel disease. Mesalamine or Asacol treats ulcerative colitis...
Polyethylene Glycol
An osmotic laxative marketed as MiraLAX. Polyethylene glycol treats constipation by drawing water into the int...
Albuterol
A short acting beta 2 agonist or SABA that quickly opens airways. Albuterol or Ventolin treats asthma attacks ...
Fluticasone
An inhaled corticosteroid that reduces airway inflammation. Fluticasone or Flovent treats asthma by preventing...
Montelukast
A leukotriene receptor antagonist taken as a tablet. Montelukast or Singulair treats asthma and allergic rhini...
Salmeterol
A long acting beta 2 agonist or LABA that provides 12 hour bronchodilation. Salmeterol or Serevent treats asth...
Ipratropium
A short acting anticholinergic bronchodilator. Ipratropium or Atrovent treats COPD and asthma by blocking musc...
Budesonide
An inhaled corticosteroid with excellent safety profile. Budesonide or Pulmicort treats asthma and inflammator...
Somatropin
Synthetic human growth hormone used to treat growth hormone deficiency in children and adults. Somatropin or G...
Loratadine
A second generation antihistamine marketed as Claritin. Loratadine treats allergic rhinitis and hives without ...
Cetirizine
A second generation antihistamine marketed as Zyrtec. Cetirizine treats allergic rhinitis, hives, and other al...
Fexofenadine
A third generation antihistamine marketed as Allegra. Fexofenadine treats allergic rhinitis and hives with the...
Propofol
An intravenous general anesthetic marketed as Diprivan. Propofol induces anesthesia rapidly with a smooth, ple...
Sevoflurane
An inhaled anesthetic that is the most commonly used gas anesthetic in developed countries. Sevoflurane or Ult...
Midazolam
A short acting benzodiazepine used for sedation before procedures. Midazolam or Versed causes sedation, anxiet...
Gabapentin
A medication originally developed for seizures but now primarily used for nerve pain. Gabapentin or Neurontin ...
Lamotrigine
An antiseizure medication also approved for bipolar disorder. Lamotrigine or Lamictal treats partial and gener...
Levetiracetam
A widely used antiseizure medication marketed as Keppra. Levetiracetam treats partial and generalized seizures...
Topiramate
An antiseizure medication also approved for migraine prevention. Topiramate or Topamax treats partial seizures...
Cyclosporine
A calcineurin inhibitor that revolutionized organ transplantation. Cyclosporine or Sandimmune prevents organ r...
Tacrolimus
A calcineurin inhibitor more potent than cyclosporine. Tacrolimus or Prograf prevents organ transplant rejecti...
Mycophenolate
An immunosuppressant that inhibits purine synthesis in lymphocytes. Mycophenolate or CellCept prevents organ t...
Trastuzumab
A monoclonal antibody targeting HER2 positive breast cancer. Trastuzumab or Herceptin treats the roughly 15 to...
Paclitaxel
A chemotherapy drug derived from the bark of the Pacific yew tree. Paclitaxel or Taxol treats breast, ovarian,...
Rituximab
The first monoclonal antibody approved for cancer treatment. Rituximab or Rituxan targets CD20, a protein on B...
Latanoprost
A prostaglandin analog eye drop that lowers intraocular pressure. Latanoprost or Xalatan treats glaucoma, the ...
Minoxidil
A medication originally developed for high blood pressure that was found to stimulate hair growth. Minoxidil o...
Isotretinoin
A powerful oral retinoid for severe cystic acne. Isotretinoin or Accutane treats nodular acne that has not res...
Sumatriptan
The first triptan medication for acute migraine. Sumatriptan or Imitrex treats migraine headaches by stimulati...
Epoetin Alfa
A recombinant form of erythropoietin, the hormone that stimulates red blood cell production. Epoetin alfa or E...
Sildenafil
A medication originally developed for angina that became a blockbuster for erectile dysfunction. Sildenafil or...
Finasteride
A medication that treats enlarged prostate and male pattern baldness. Finasteride or Proscar treats benign pro...
Enoxaparin
A low molecular weight heparin or LMWH. Enoxaparin or Lovenox prevents and treats blood clots. It replaced unf...
Praziquantel
A medication that treats schistosomiasis and other parasitic worm infections. Praziquantel is the primary trea...
Albendazole
A broad spectrum antiparasitic medication. Albendazole or Albenza treats roundworm, hookworm, whipworm, and ta...
Ivermectin
A medication developed from bacteria discovered by Satoshi Omura, who received the Nobel Prize in 2015. Iverme...
Piperacillin-Tazobactam
A combination of a broad spectrum penicillin with a beta lactamase inhibitor. Piperacillin tazobactam or Zosyn...
Meropenem
A broad spectrum carbapenem antibiotic reserved for the most serious infections. Meropenem treats hospital acq...
Ceftriaxone
A third generation cephalosporin and one of the most used antibiotics in hospitals. Ceftriaxone or Rocephin tr...
Ketorolac
A potent injectable NSAID used for short term management of moderate to severe acute pain. Ketorolac or Torado...
Nabumetone
A non acid NSAID prodrug that is converted to its active form in the liver. Nabumetone or Relafen treats osteo...
Fenofibrate
A fibrate medication that lowers triglycerides and raises HDL cholesterol. Fenofibrate or Tricor treats hypert...
Ceftazidime
A third generation cephalosporin with excellent activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Ceftazidime or Fortaz...
Clavulanate
A beta lactamase inhibitor that is combined with amoxicillin as Augmentin. Clavulanic acid has no antibiotic a...
Sulbactam
A beta lactamase inhibitor combined with ampicillin as Unasyn. Sulbactam protects ampicillin from bacterial be...
Tazobactam
A beta lactamase inhibitor combined with piperacillin as Zosyn. Tazobactam protects piperacillin from bacteria...
Cefepime
A fourth generation cephalosporin with broad spectrum activity. Cefepime or Maxipime treats hospital acquired ...
Aztreonam
A monobactam antibiotic active only against gram negative bacteria. Aztreonam or Azactam treats infections cau...
Capecitabine
An oral chemotherapy prodrug that converts to fluorouracil in the body. Capecitabine or Xeloda treats breast c...
Gemcitabine
A chemotherapy drug used for some of the most difficult cancers. Gemcitabine or Gemzar treats pancreatic cance...
Cabergoline
A longer acting dopamine agonist preferred over bromocriptine for prolactinomas. Cabergoline or Dostinex treat...
Fluconazole
A triazole antifungal medication. Fluconazole or Diflucan treats yeast infections including vaginal candidiasi...
Terbinafine
An allylamine antifungal medication. Terbinafine or Lamisil treats fungal nail infections and ringworm. For na...