"Decoding Drug Nomenclature: Understanding Prefixes and Suffixes in Pharmaceutical Terminology"

Pharmaceuticals play a crucial role in modern medicine, and a clear understanding of drug names is essential for healthcare professionals and patients alike. However, many drug names can seem like a foreign language to the uninitiated. That's where prefixes and suffixes come in. These linguistic components provide valuable information about the origin, composition, and purpose of a drug. In this blog, we'll explore the most common drug prefixes and suffixes, demystifying their meanings and helping you to make sense of those confusing pharmaceutical labels. So whether you're a student studying pharmacology, or simply someone who wants to have a better understanding of their medication, this guide is for you.

​STEM	DEFINITION OR CLASS	EXAMPLES
​-ac	NSAID (acetic acid derivatives)	bromfenac, dexpemedolac
-adol-	Mixed opiate receptor agonists/antagonists	levonantradol, spiradoline, tazadolene
-afil	Inhibitor of PDE5 with vasodilator action	​sildenafil (viagra), tadalafil
-alol	​Combined alpha and beta blockers	labetalol, medroxalol
-andr-	​Androgens	​nandrolone
-anib	​Angiogenesis inhibitors	​Pazopanib, Vandetanib
-anserin	Serotonin 5-HT (sub) 2 receptor antagonists	​altanserin, tropanserin
-arabine	​Antineoplastics	​fludarabine
-ase	​Enzymes	​alglucerase, dornase alfa
-atadine	​Tricyclic anti-asthmatics	​olopatadine, loratadine
-axine	​Antianxiety, antidepressant	​venlafaxine
-azenil	​Benzodiazepine receptor agonists/antagonist	​bretazenil, flumazenil
-pam	​Anti-anxiety	​lorazepam, diazepam
-azepide	​Cholecystokinin receptor antagonists	​devazepide
-azocine	​Narcotic antagonists/agonists	​quadazocine, ketazocine
-azoline	​Antihistamines/local vasoconstrictors	​antazoline
-azosin	​Antihypertensives	​doxazosin
-bactam	​Beta-lactamase inhibitors	​sulbactam
-bamate	​Tranquilizers/antiepileptics	​meprobamate, felbamate
-barb-	​Barbituric acid derivatives	​phenobarbital, secobarbital
-bersat	​Anticonvulsants; antimigraine	​carabersat; tidembersat
-bufen	NSAID	​indobufen
-butan	Antiseptics	​dapabutan, lopbutan
-zone	​Anti-inflammatory analgesics	​mofebutazone
-caine	​Local anesthetics	​lidocaine, dibucaine
​-carbef	​Antibiotics	loracarbef
​-cillin	​Antibiotics	​ampicillin, penicillin
​-cog	​Blog coagulation factors	​eptacog alfa, nonacog alfa, octocog alfa
​-zole	​Antifungals	​fluconazole, oxiconazole
-cort-	​Corticosteroid	​hydrocortisone
​-curium	​Neuromuscular blocking agents	​atracurium
​-cyline	​Antibiotics (tetracycline type)	​minocycline, tetracyline

​-dralazine	Antihypertensives	​hydralazine
​-dronate	​Calcium metabolism regulators	​etidronate, tiludronate
​-ectin	​Antiparasitics	​doramectin, moxidectin
​-erg-	​Ergot alkaloid derivatives	​pergolide
​-ide	​Diuretics	​bumetanide, furosemide
​-fenamic	​Anti-inflammatory	​mefenamic acid, flufenamic acid
​-fentanil	​Narcotic analgesics	​alfentanil, mirfentanil
​-fibrate	​Antihyperlipidemics	​bezafibrate
​-flurane	​Inhalation anesthetics	​enflurane, isoflurane
​-gest-	​Progestins	​megestrol
​-giline	​MAO-inhibitors	​selegiline
​-gillin	​Antibiotics	​mitogillin
​-gliptin	​Antihyperglycemics	​vildagliptin
​-glitazar	​Antihyperglycemics	​farglitazar
​-flizatone	​Antihyperglycemics	​ciglitazone, rosiglitazone
​-grel-	​Platelet aggregation inhibitor	​clopidogrel, ticagrelor
​-imex	​Immunostimulants	​forfenimex, roquinimex
​-imus	​Immunosuppressives	​tacrolimus, napirimus, gusperimus
​-irudin	​Anticoagulants	​desirudin
​-leukin	​Interleukin-2 derivatives	​teceleukin, aldesleukin
​-lukast	​Leukotriene antagonists	​montelukast, zafirlukast
​-mab	​Monoclonal antibodies	​capromab, daclizumab, detumomab
​-mantadine	​Antivirals	​rimantadine
​-milast	​Antiasthmatics/antiallergics	​piclamilast
​-monam	​Monobactam antibiotics	​gloximonam
​-mustine	​Antineoplastics	​carmustine
​-mycin	​Antibiotics	​lincomycin
​-olol	​Betablockers	​timolol, atenolol
​-one	​Steroids	​minaxolone, prednisolone
​-orphan	​Narcotic antagonists/agonists	​methrorphan, dextrorphan
​-oxacin	​Antibiotics	​dilfoxacin, ciprofloxacin
​-oxetine	​Antidepressants	​duloxetine, reboxetine
​-pamide	​Diuretics	​adipamide

​-pamil	​Coronary vasodilators	​tiapamil
​-parin	​Heparin derivatives	​heparin, tinzaparin, dalteparin
​-peridol	​Antipsychotics	​haloperidol
​-peridone	​Antipsychotics	​risperidone, iloperidone
​-pidem	​Hypnotics/Sedatives	​zolpidem, alpidem
​-piridine	​Cognition enhancers	​linopiridine, besipiridine
​-poetin	​Erythropoietins	​epoetin alfa, epoetin beta
​-pramine	​Antidepressants	​lofepramine
​-prazole	​Proton-pump inhibitor	​omeprazole, lansoprazole
​-pred-	​Prednisone derivatives	​prednicarbate, cloprednol
​-pril	​Antihypertensive	​captopril, lisinopril, enalapril
​-profen	​Anti-inflammatory/analgesics	​flurbiprofen, ibuprofen
​-prost-	​Prostaglandin analogue	​latanoprost, unoprostone
​-rubicin	​Antineoplastic antibiotics	​epirubicin, idarubicin
​-sartan	​Angiotensin II receptor antagonists	​losartan, eprosartan, irbesartan
​-statin	​HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors	​atorvastatin, fluvastatin, lovastatin
​-one	​Steroids	​testosterone
​-sulfa	​Antibiotics	​sulfasalazine
​-tegrast	​Antiasthmatics/antiallergics	​Valategrast
​-terol	​Bronchodilators	​albuterol
​-thiazide	​Diuretics	​chlorothiazide, hydrochlorothiazide
​-tide	​peptides and glycopeptides	​Nesiritide, Octreotide
​-tocin	​Oxytocin	​Oxytocin, pitocin
​-trexate	​Antimetabolites	​methotrexate
​-triptyline	​Antidepressants	​amitriptyline
-uracil	​Thyroid antagonist and antineoplastic	​fluorouracil
​-zolast	​Antiasthmatics	​eclazolast, ontazolast
​cef-	​Cephalosporins	​cefazolin
​estr-	​Estrogens	​estrone
-​vir	​Antiviral	​viroxime, acyclovir, oseltamivir

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