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Prescription Drugs and Drug Categories

Author: Sophia

what's covered
In this lesson, you will learn the names of prescription drugs and drug categories in Spanish that you can use to discuss prescriptions with patients. Specifically, this lesson will cover:
  1. Los Medicamentos que Necesitan una Receta y las Categorías de Medicamentos (Prescription Drugs and Drug Categories)

1. Los Medicamentos queue Necesitan una Receta y las Categorías de Medicamentos (Prescription Drugs and Drug Categories)

The following table presents the Spanish names of common prescription drugs and general drug categories that you will encounter in your profession.

English Spanish Pronunciation
albuterol el albuterol ale all-boo-tay-role
ampicillin la ampicilina la ahm-pee-see-lee-nah
analgesics los analgésicos lohs ah-nall-hay-see-kohs
anesthetics los anestésicos lohs ah-nace-tay-see-kohs
amphetamine la anfetamina la ahn-fay-tah-me-nah
antacids los antiácidos lohs ahn-tee-ah-see-dohs
antibiotics los antibióticos lohs ahn-tee-bee-oh-tee-kohs
anticonvulsants los anticonvulsivos lohs ahn-tee-cone-bool-see-bohs
antidepressants los antidepresivos lohs ahn-tee-day-pray-see-bohs
antimalarics los antimaláricos lohs ahn-tee-ma-la-ree-kohs
antiseptics los antisépticos lohs ahn-tee-sape-tee-kohs
astringents los astringentes lohs ah-streen-hane-tace
caffeine la cafeína la kah-fay-ee-nah
cathartics los catárticos lohs kah-tar-tee-kohs
decongestants los descongestionantes lohs dace-cone-hay-stee-oh-nahn-tace
diuretics los diuréticos lohs dee-oo-ray-tee-kohs
emetics los eméticos lohs ay-may-tee-kohs
emollients los emolientes lohs ay-mo-lee-ain-tace
estrogen el estrógeno ale ace-trow-hee-no
steroids los esteroides lohs ace-tay-roy-dace
phenobarbital el fenobarbital ale fay-no-bar-bee-tall
insulin la insulina la een-sue-lee-nah
laxatives los laxantes lohs lax-ahn-tace
medications for diabetes los medicamentos para diabetes lohs may-dee-kah-main-tohs pa-rah dee-ah-bay-tace
narcotics los narcóticos lohs nar-koh-tee-kohs
penicillin la penicilina la pay-nee-see-lee-nah
birth control pills las píldoras anticonceptivas lahs peel-door-ahs ahn-tee-cone-sape-tee-bahs
purgatives los purgantes lohs pour-gahn-tace
sedatives los sedantes lohs say-dahn-tace
stimulants los estimulantes lohs ace-tee-moo-lahn-tace
thyroid pills los medicamentos para tiroide lohs may-dee-kah-main-tohs pa-rah tee-roy-day
tranquilizers los tranquilizantes lohs trahn-key-lee-sahn-tace

As you can see, most prescription medications go by the same name in English and Spanish. There are many that do not appear on this list because they are called in Spanish by the same brand name that they are in English.

When using a generic, you can say, la forma generica de ("the generic form of") followed by the name of the medication to clarify.

summary
In this lesson, you learned the names of prescription drugs and drug categories in Spanish. This vocabulary provides an important foundation, as the later lessons in this course will teach you how to discuss the use of these medications and other pain management options with patients.

¡Buena suerte!

Support

If you are struggling with a concept or terminology in the course, you may contact SpanishforNursesSupport@capella.edu for assistance.

If you are having technical issues, please contact learningcoach@sophia.org.

Source: This content has been adapted from "Spanish for Nurses" by Stephanie Langston.