Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
alpha methyl dopa

alpha methyl dopa

6.1
A medicine that lowers high blood pressure, often used during pregnancy
  • noun
  • /ˈælfə ˈmɛθəl ˈdoʊpə/
  • Specialized
translation icon : metildopa
  • Alpha methyl dopa is especially useful in managing hypertension during pregnancy.

Examples

  • Patients taking alpha methyl dopa should have their liver function monitored regularly.

  • The doctor prescribed alpha methyl dopa for her hypertension.

  • The doctor prescribed alpha methyl dopa to help control her high blood pressure.

  • Can alpha methyl dopa help lower blood pressure effectively?

  • The doctor prescribed alpha methyl dopa to help control her high blood pressure.

  • Patients taking alpha methyl dopa should have their liver function monitored regularly.

  • Alpha methyl dopa is especially useful in managing hypertension during pregnancy.

Synonyms

methyldopa
vsalpha methyl dopa
  • Specialized
7.8

A medicine that lowers high blood pressure

is the same medication often sold under a trade name
Aldomet
vsalpha methyl dopa
  • Specialized
8.3

A medicine with methyldopa that lowers high blood pressure

is the generic active drug rather than the branded product

Surface Forms

alpha methyl dopa singular
alpha methyl dopas plural

Morphology

alpha + methyl + dopa

The parts 'methyl' and 'dopa' transparently indicate a chemical relation to dopa (a methyl-substituted form), and 'alpha' signals a positional/structural marker used in scientific names, so learners might infer it is a chemical compound. However, the specific clinical meaning 'an antihypertensive drug' is not derivable from the constituents and requires domain knowledge, making the expression only partially predictable to a B1 learner.

Etymology

Alpha methyl dopa gets its name from its parts: alpha meaning 'first', methyl a tiny chemical piece, and dopa from a natural body chemical related to 'dopamine'. This simple picture of a small change to a natural chemical helps explain why alpha methyl dopa is a medicine made from a modified body chemical and is used to lower high blood pressure.