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Pharmacy & Pharmacology vocabulary · Drug Classes

Corticosteroid

Meaning in pharmacy & pharmacology, with examples

/ˌkɔrtɪkoʊˈstɛrɔɪd/nounCommon term

In pharmacy & pharmacology, corticosteroid means: A medicine similar to hormones made by the adrenal glands, used to reduce inflammation and calm the immune system in conditions such as asthma, eczema and arthritis.

In Turkish: kortikosteroid, kortizon

How it is used

Often just called steroids. They come in many forms: tablets (prednisolone), inhalers (beclometasone), creams (hydrocortisone) and injections (dexamethasone). Long courses of tablets can cause serious side effects and must not be stopped suddenly, so some patients carry a steroid card.

Example sentences

  1. Rinse your mouth after using the corticosteroid inhaler to help prevent oral thrush.

  2. She has been on oral corticosteroids for months, so they must not be stopped suddenly.

Common collocations

  • inhaled corticosteroid
  • oral corticosteroid
  • topical corticosteroid
  • steroid card
  • inhalerA small device that delivers a measured dose of medicine as a fine spray or powder that the patient breathes into the lungs, mainly for asthma and COPD.
  • topicalApplied directly to a part of the body, such as the skin, the eyes or the inside of the nose, usually to act at that place rather than throughout the body.
  • potencyThe amount of a drug needed to produce a given effect; a highly potent drug works at a very small dose.
  • side effectAn effect of a medicine that is not the main reason for taking it; most side effects are unwanted, such as nausea, drowsiness or a headache.

More terms: Drug Classes

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.