From Textbook (Blood and Lymph Drug Vocabulary) - Unit 7: Blood and The Lymphatic System

anticoagulant drugs

Indication: Prevent blood clots from forming by inhibiting the clotting factors (heparin drug) or by inhibiting vitamin K that is needed to make the clotting factors (warfarin drug). Examples: heparin (subcutaneous or intravenous), warfarin (Coumadin) (oral)

corticosteroid drugs

Indication: Anti-inflammatory drugs that suppress the immune response and decrease inflammation. Also given to organ transplant patients to prevent rejection of the donor organ. Examples: methylprednisolone (Medrol), prednisone

erythropoietin

Indication: Stimulates the red marrow to make erythrocytes. Examples: epoetin alfa (Epogen, procrit)

immuno-suppressant drugs

Indication: Suppress the immune response. Prevent rejection of a transplanted organ. Examples: cyclosporine (Sandimmune)

nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor drugs

Indication: Antiretroviral drugs that inhibit reverse transcriptase, an enzyme that HIV needs to reproduce itself. Examples: lamivudine (Epivir), telbivudine (Tyzeka), zidovudine (Retrovir)

platelet aggregation inhibitor drugs

Indication: Prevent platelets from aggregating (clumping together), the first step in forming a blood clot. Examples: aspirin, clopidogrel (Plavix), abciximab (ReoPro)

protease inhibitor drugs

Indication: Antiretroviral drugs that inhibit protease, an enzyme that HIV needs to reproduce itself. Examples: indinavir (Crixivan), nelfinavir (Viracept), ritonavir (Norvir)

thrombolytic enzyme drugs

Indication: Break fibrin strands to dissolve a blood clot that has already formed. Examples: urokinase (Abbokinase). The suffix -ase indicates that the drug is an enzyme.

tissue plasminogen activator (TPA) drugs

Indication: Activate plasminogen by converting it to an enzyme that breaks fibrin strands and dissolves a blood clot that has already formed. Examples: alteplase (Activase), reteplase (Retavase)

vitamin B₁₂ drugs

Indication: Used to treat pernicious anemia. They are given by intramuscular injection or by nasal spray. Examples: cyanocobalamin (Nascobal)