What are the Therapeutic Classes of Drugs

Therapeutic is a branch of medicine that treats diseases with remedial agents. Therapeutic drugs are chemically induced drugs that are extensively studied, experimented with, and tested to be reliable for treating the target disease.

Therapeutic drugs have their pros and cons. The drugs are efficacious in the diseases they treat; nevertheless, they come with side effects that can harm our bodies. Hence, it is generally advised to ask a doctor for a prescription before taking any medicine.

Now that we have some information on therapeutic drugs, we will delve a little deeper into their classification.

Classes of Therapeutic Drugs

Therapeutic drugs are divided into the following classes based on the diseases they treat.

Abortifacient

Deliberate attempts to end the pregnancy by removing the embryo or the foetus from the womb are called abortions. An abortifacient is a drug that helps to cause abortion. It combines two Latin words, abortus meaning miscarriage and faciens meaning ‘to make’; thus, it means ‘to cause miscarriage’.

An abortifacient is a broad term used to categorise any drug with abortion-inducing characteristics. It is often used in medically induced abortion.

Anti-adrenergic Blockers

Anti-adrenergic blockers are drugs that block the activity of the hormones secreted by the adrenal glands called catecholamines. Adrenaline glands are located on the top of the kidney. There are two major types of anti-adrenergic blockers.

•  Alpha anti-adrenergic
• Beta anti-adrenergic

Beta anti-adrenergic is used to treat heart failure and cardiac indications, while alpha anti-adrenergic is used to treat hypertension or high blood pressure.

Anti-bacterial and Corticosteroids

Corticosteroids are an effective class of steroid hormones that helps reduce inflammation and constriction of blood vessels in the skin. Anti-bacterial corticosteroids are topical steroids combined with creams used to treat skin infections primarily caused by bacteria therapeutically.

Sedatives

A class of therapeutic drugs used to slow down the brain’s activity is called sedatives. It induces a neurotransmitter called gamma-aminobutyric acid or GABA to enhance its effect on the brain. GABA is responsible for slowing down the activity of the brain. Sedatives are produced under heavy regulation due to their highly addictive nature and are only given to prescribed patients. It is generally used to treat anxiety and sleep disorders.

Anti-diabetic Drugs

Therapeutic drugs that are developed to treat diabetes are called anti-diabetic drugs. Diabetes is a chronic disease that lasts a long time. It is a condition in which the body either does not produce insulin or cannot use the insulin that has been produced. This causes the sugar levels in the blood to either be low or high. It can be of two types:

•  Type-I Diabetes
•  Type-II Diabetes

For Type-I diabetes generally, Amylin is prescribed as an anti-diabetic drug; however, its prescription is not recommended in some countries. For Type-II, biguanides such as Metformin are usually prescribed.

Antiviral Drug

A class of therapeutic drugs used to treat infections and diseases caused by viruses is called an antiviral drug. The majority of the antiviral drugs target a specific virus; however, a drug to target a wide range of viruses can also be produced. It is generally prescribed for HIV, herpes viruses, hepatitis B and C viruses, and influenza A and B viruses. The primary idea behind antiviral drugs is to identify the foreign protein or parts in the body. After identifying and extracting the foreign protein, various potential candidate drugs are tested on it following intensive screening tests for effectiveness.

Analgesic

A class of therapeutic drugs used to relieve pain is called analgesic drugs. These drugs are also called painkillers or pain relievers. Unlike anaesthesia, they do not directly numb the nerves. They are classified into two major groups:

• Anti-inflammatory drugs: These are used to curb the pain caused by inflammation.
•  Opioid analgesics: These alter the way the brain perceives pain, thus reducing its effect.

Analgesics are usually used after surgery. Some are available off the counter, while some might require a prescription. It is also used during headaches, menstrual cramps, and muscle soreness.

Anticoagulant

Therapeutic drugs that prevent blood clots are called anticoagulant drugs. Blood clotting is helpful during external bleeding as it helps to prevent the loss of blood, but if blood starts to clot in the wrong places where it absolutely must not, such as the heart, lungs, or brain, then it will create a severe problem leading to strokes and heart attacks, which can be fatal. Anticoagulant interrupts blood clotting in these cases, thus preventing a fatal situation.

Conclusion

This article primarily defines the applications of therapeutic drugs. These drugs are used for a specific illness or disease. They can be classified as abortifacients, antibacterial, corticosteroids, and anti-adrenergic blockers. Extreme caution needs to be taken while dealing with these drugs and they should be consumed only after consulting a medical practitioner.