adrenergic drug
- noun
- /ˌæd.rəˈnɜr.dʒɪk drʌg/
- Specialized
- Some asthma inhalers contain an adrenergic drug to relax the airway muscles.
Examples
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Use of an adrenergic drug may result in side effects such as increased blood pressure.
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The doctor prescribed an adrenergic drug to help increase the patient’s heart rate.
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An adrenergic drug can help improve heart function.
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Doctors often prescribe an adrenergic drug for asthma.
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Some asthma inhalers contain an adrenergic drug to relax the airway muscles.
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The doctor prescribed an adrenergic drug to help increase the patient’s heart rate.
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Doctors often prescribe an adrenergic drug for asthma.
Synonyms
A hormone the body makes during stress that raises heart rate and energy and treats severe allergic reactions when injected
A natural hormone and emergency medicine that raises heart rate and treats severe allergic reactions and cardiac arrest
A white powder that opens the airways and makes you more awake for asthma treatment
A chemical the body makes in danger or excitement that makes the heart beat faster and gives more energy
A drug that acts like adrenaline to raise heart rate and blood pressure
A hormone the body makes when stressed that raises heart rate and blood pressure
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a drug that mimics or stimulates the effects of epinephrine' is directly derivable from combining 'adrenergic' (responsive to epinephrine/adrenaline) with 'drug' (a medicinal chemical). This is a compositional, technical adjective+noun phrase rather than an idiom, so a learner who knows both constituents can infer the MWE's meaning; cross-linguistic medical cognates also support predictability.
Etymology
Adrenergic drug comes from adrenal (from 'adrenaline', the body's 'alarm' chemical) and the word part -ergic, which means 'acting on'. These drugs work like adrenaline, making the heart beat faster and opening the airways, so they are used for 'asthma' or to raise a low heart rate.