Drugs work in your body in a variety of ways. They can interfere with microorganisms (germs) that invade your body, destroy abnormal cells that cause cancer, replace deficient substances (such as hormones or vitamins), or change the way that cells work in your body.
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The following information is a basic overview of how some drugs work to improve your health.
Fighting Infections
An infection occurs when microorganisms, such as bacteria or viruses, invade your body. Medications used to treat infections can kill germs directly or prevent them from multiplying and growing.
Some medications used to treat infections include:
Targeting Cancer Cells
There are three types of medications used to treat cancer.Chemotherapyattacks cancer cells directly and stops or slows their growth and spread.Biological therapyhelps your body’s immune system fight cancer. Lastly, antiangiogenic therapy blocks the growth of new blood vessels to a tumor, which may cut off a tumor’s supply of oxygen and nutrients. Some cancers are treated with a combination of these medications.
Some medications used to treat cancer are:
Replacing Missing or Deficient Substances
Your body needs certain levels of amino acids (or proteins), vitamins, and minerals to work properly. If these substances are deficient or missing, you can develop health conditions such asscurvy(vitamin C deficiency), anemia (iron deficiency), and pernicious anemia (vitamin B12 deficiency). Recent medical studies suggest that a lack of vitamin D may increase the risk of heart attack in men.Your healthcare provider, therefore, can order a blood test to measure your vitamin D levels and may recommend avitamin D supplement.
Some medications used to treat hormone deficiency disorders are:
Changing How Cells Work
Some medications that alter the function of body cells are:
Here are different ways that drugs are introduced into your body.
If you have any questions about how your medications work or how they are taken, call your healthcare provider’s office or make an appointment to see him or her. Additionally, your pharmacist is a wonderful resource who can help you better understand your medications.
4 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.US Food and Drug Administration.Fact Sheet: FDA at a Glance. November 2020.Arruebo M, Vilaboa N, Sáez-gutierrez B, et al.Assessment of the evolution of cancer treatment therapies.Cancers (Basel). 2011;3(3):3279-330. doi:10.3390/cancers3033279Judd SE, Tangpricha V.Vitamin D deficiency and risk for cardiovascular disease.Am J Med Sci. 2009;338(1):40-4. doi:10.1097/MAJ.0b013e3181aaee91Wiysonge CS, Bradley HA, Volmink J, Mayosi BM, Opie LH.Beta-blockers for hypertension.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2017;1:CD002003. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD002003.pub5Additional ReadingDrug Administration. Merck Manual. Consumer Version.How Medications Work. Johns Hopkins Prescription Drugs Reports.
4 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.US Food and Drug Administration.Fact Sheet: FDA at a Glance. November 2020.Arruebo M, Vilaboa N, Sáez-gutierrez B, et al.Assessment of the evolution of cancer treatment therapies.Cancers (Basel). 2011;3(3):3279-330. doi:10.3390/cancers3033279Judd SE, Tangpricha V.Vitamin D deficiency and risk for cardiovascular disease.Am J Med Sci. 2009;338(1):40-4. doi:10.1097/MAJ.0b013e3181aaee91Wiysonge CS, Bradley HA, Volmink J, Mayosi BM, Opie LH.Beta-blockers for hypertension.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2017;1:CD002003. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD002003.pub5Additional ReadingDrug Administration. Merck Manual. Consumer Version.How Medications Work. Johns Hopkins Prescription Drugs Reports.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
US Food and Drug Administration.Fact Sheet: FDA at a Glance. November 2020.Arruebo M, Vilaboa N, Sáez-gutierrez B, et al.Assessment of the evolution of cancer treatment therapies.Cancers (Basel). 2011;3(3):3279-330. doi:10.3390/cancers3033279Judd SE, Tangpricha V.Vitamin D deficiency and risk for cardiovascular disease.Am J Med Sci. 2009;338(1):40-4. doi:10.1097/MAJ.0b013e3181aaee91Wiysonge CS, Bradley HA, Volmink J, Mayosi BM, Opie LH.Beta-blockers for hypertension.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2017;1:CD002003. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD002003.pub5
US Food and Drug Administration.Fact Sheet: FDA at a Glance. November 2020.
Arruebo M, Vilaboa N, Sáez-gutierrez B, et al.Assessment of the evolution of cancer treatment therapies.Cancers (Basel). 2011;3(3):3279-330. doi:10.3390/cancers3033279
Judd SE, Tangpricha V.Vitamin D deficiency and risk for cardiovascular disease.Am J Med Sci. 2009;338(1):40-4. doi:10.1097/MAJ.0b013e3181aaee91
Wiysonge CS, Bradley HA, Volmink J, Mayosi BM, Opie LH.Beta-blockers for hypertension.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2017;1:CD002003. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD002003.pub5
Drug Administration. Merck Manual. Consumer Version.How Medications Work. Johns Hopkins Prescription Drugs Reports.
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