Medications
A subtitle study of ER and Grey's Anatomy found morphine, atropine, and lidocaine to be the three most-mentioned individual drugs. Learn these as names, not as roots.
| Term | What the name signals in dialogue |
|---|---|
| morphine | opioid pain medicine |
| atropine | medicine heard in resuscitation and several other settings; often associated in drama with treating certain slow heart rates |
| lidocaine | local anesthetic and, in some settings, antiarrhythmic medicine |
| epinephrine / epi | adrenaline; heard in resuscitation and severe allergic-reaction scenes among other uses |
| insulin | hormone/medicine that lowers blood glucose by enabling glucose uptake and storage |
| heparin | anticoagulant |
| aspirin | analgesic/antipyretic with antiplatelet effects; context determines why it is mentioned |
| antibiotic | medicine targeting bacteria |
| antiviral | medicine targeting viruses |
| analgesic | pain-relieving medicine |
| anesthetic | medicine producing loss of sensation, with or without loss of consciousness |
| sedative | medicine that calms or reduces consciousness |
| anticoagulant | medicine that reduces clot formation/growth |
| vasopressor | medicine that constricts vessels and/or supports blood pressure |