For other uses, see Drug (disambiguation).

 

Caffeine, contained in coffee and different beverages, is that the most generally used psychoactive drug in the globe. ninetieth of North American adults consume the substance on a day after day

Uncoated aspirin tablets, consisting of regarding ninetieth aspirin, together with a minor quantity of inert fillers and binders. analgesic is a pharmaceutical drug often accustomed treat pain, fever, and inflammation.

A drug is any subs

stance (other than food that provides biological process support) that, when inhaled, injected, smoked, consumed, absorbed via a patch on the skin, or dissolved underneath the tongue causes a brief physiological (and typically psychological) modification within the body.

In pharmacology, a drug could be a chemical substance of well-known structure, apart from a nutrient of a vital dietary ingredient, which, once administered to a living organism, produces a biological result. A pharmaceutical drug, additionally referred to as medication or drugs, could be a chemical substance used to treat, cure, prevent, or diagnose a disease or to promote well-being. historically medicine was obtained through extraction from medicinal plants, however additional recently additionally by organic synthesis. Pharmaceutical medicine is also used for a restricted length, or on a daily basis for chronic disorders.

Pharmaceutical medicine square measure usually classified into drug classes—groups of connected medicine that have similar chemical structures, the same mechanism of action (binding to the same biological target), a related mode of action, which square measure wont to treat identical unwellness. The Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical Classification System (ATC), the foremost wide used drug organization, assigns medicine a unique ATC code, that is AN alphanumerical code that assigns it to specific drug categories among the ATC system. Another major organization is the Biopharmaceutics organization. This classifies medicine in step with their solubility and permeableness or absorption properties.

Psychoactive drugs are chemical substances that have an effect on the performance of the central systema nervosum, altering perception, mood or consciousness. They include alcohol, a depressant (and a stimulant in little quantities), and the stimulants nicotine and caffeine. These 3 square measure the foremost wide consumed psychedelic medication worldwide and also are considered recreational drugs since they're used for pleasure instead of healthful functions. alternative recreational medication includes hallucinogens, opiates and amphetamines and a number of these also are employed in religious or spiritual settings. Some medication will cause addiction and all medication will have side effects. Excessive use of stimulants will promote stimulant mental illness. several recreational medications are illicit and international treaties like the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs exist for the aim of their prohibition.