Abbreviations and terminology, brand and generic drug names, brand names in different countries

[ang]

For brand and generic drug names see:

 

wiki

drugs.com

rxlist

 

https://pillintrip.com/   Find the name of your pills in any country

 

or use a search engine, eg google

 

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Abbreviations and terminology list in alphabetical order:

 

AAF Acknowledge, Accept, Float.  

A strategy for handling a myriad of psychological symptoms.  Acknowledge that the symptoms are real, Accept that they can't harm you and that there is nothing you can do about them, let them Float off as you go on about your business

 

AD antidepressant

 

ADD attention deficit disorder

 

ADHD attention deficit hyperactive disorder

 

ADR adverse drug reaction

 

AP antipsychotic

 

BC birth control

 

benzo is a contraction of benzodiazepine, the class of Valium-type sedative drugs.

 

CBT Cognitive Behavioral Therapy,

a strategy for changing the way you view your thoughts to help control anxiety and panic among other thing.

 

CFS chronic fatigue syndrome

CNS central nervous system

 

CT Cold Turkey or the abrupt quitting of the drug in question.  

 

BP bipolar

 

DC decrease/d

 

DH Dear Husband

 

DP depersonalization

 

DR derealization

 

DW Dear Wife (not dish washer)

 

Dx diagnosis

 

ECT electroconvulsive shock therapy (sometimes also called EST I think)

 

EPS extrapyramidal symptoms

 

FIL Father in Law

 

GAD generalized anxiety disorder

 

GAPS diet stands for Gut and Psychology Syndrome

 

HI homicidal ideation

 

ID WD interdose withdrawal

 

MAOI monoamine oxidase inhibitor (older class of antidepressants)

 

MDD major depressive disorder

 

mgai milligrams of active ingredient (acronym used in weighing doses with a digital scale)

 

mgpw milligrams pill weight (acronym used in weighing doses with a digital scale)

 

MIL Mother in Law

 

OP other person

 

OTC over the counter

 

PGAD persistent genital arousal disorder

 

PRN latin "pro re nata" = as required

 

PSSD post-SSRI sexual dysfunction

 

PTSD Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

 

RI reinstatement

 

RLS Restless Leg Syndrome

 

Rx prescription

 

SI suicidal ideation

 

SNRI serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (certain antidepressants, such as Effexor)

 

SO Significant Other

 

SRI serotonin reuptake inhibitor

 

SSRI selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (antidepressants like Prozac for example)

 

SS serotonin syndrome

 

ST serotonin toxicity (same as SS, more appropriate name for such)

 

Sx symptom

 

TCA tricyclic antidepressants

 

TD tardive dyskinesia (involuntary movement, movement disorder, often involving the tongue or lips )

 

Tx treatment

 

WD is a contraction for Withdrawal

and is referring to the various symptoms that are associated with tapering off of one of these drugs. There is a big controversy over the use of the term "withdrawal" because the medical community has a very specific definition for the word which they think doesn't fit what we are experiencing.  To counter this they came up with the phrase "Discontinuation Syndrome".

 

WDnormal is withdrawal normal

short hand for "all the symptoms I have been feeling lately but am to lazy to list them over and over again".  It is a variable term that changes with the set of symptoms a person is feeling.

 

YMMV is your mileage may vary

 

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I just wanted to start a new topi, as I am feeling poorly.

Anyhow, so many acronyms on this site, what do they all mean?

 

WD is Withdrawal syndrome

 

CT  is that convulsive therapy?  

 

 

Sorry  I think we need a list somewhere, what all these mean.

 

Sorry a newbie, the site is fantastic.

 

I no longer feel all alone in this world.

 

Edited July 6, 2022 by ChessieCat
Updated

[compsports]

Hi ang,

 

I think CT refers to cold turkey.

 

I feel your frustration with acronyms.   There are posters on sleep apnea board I hang out at who do this constantly.  I always have to do a google search for the translation:)

 

Glad you don't feel alone and hope you feel better.

 

CS

 

Edited January 27, 2019 by ChessieCat

[nirubhai]

Interesting, guys! Hang on with your research.

[Altostrata]

20 hours ago, ChessieCat said:

I'd also like to suggest that the full list of acronyms be added to the very first post of this topic.

 

Good idea. This will take some editing and updating, do you want to take it on?

 

The drug name topic hadn't been updated for years, so I combined it with this one. We cannot hope to keep up with them. Dr. Google is the best source for drug names and alternatives.

[ChessieCat]

Okay.  What I've done.

 

I've added all the abbreviations to the first post

 

I've retitled the topic to include drug names

 

I've hidden all the unnecessary posts (for later deletion?)

 

Added this to the top of the first post:

 

For brand and generic drug names see:

 

wiki

drugs.com

rxlist

 

Are there any other links which might be helpful?  For example drug interaction checker links?  medscape and drugs.com

 

Edited January 27, 2019 by ChessieCat

[Altostrata]

On 1/27/2019 at 1:52 PM, ChessieCat said:

For example drug interaction checker links?  medscape and drugs.com

 

Drugs.com Interactions Checker  https://www.drugs.com/drug_interactions.php

 

Medscape requires a free registration.

 

Pubmed -- US government's international database of medical journal articles https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/

 

[Shep]

On 1/27/2019 at 4:52 PM, ChessieCat said:

Are there any other links which might be helpful?  For example drug interaction checker links?  medscape and drugs.com

 

I recently came across an easy way to calculate the half life - Drug Half-Life Calculator 

[Armorall]

I thought that (from Baylissa's website) that "protracted withdrawal" meant beyond 18 months, but I feel like I've seen people identify themselves as such only 4 months in.

What would be the definition of PW? I also thought acute withdrawal meant the first 3 months of withdrawal. Is it more a descriptor of the symptoms rather than the timeframe?

[Shep]

On 11/14/2019 at 4:55 PM, Armorall said:

I thought that (from Baylissa's website) that "protracted withdrawal" meant beyond 18 months, but I feel like I've seen people identify themselves as such only 4 months in.

 

The concept of PAWS originated from the research of long-term damage from addictive substances, such as alcohol and methamphetamines. Keep in mind Dr. Ashton, who first pioneered a slow withdrawal protocol from benzos, originally worked with opioid addiction, so she came from that perspective and background. I'm not exactly sure where the 18-month criteria originally came from, but it's been floating around the benzo forums for years (Baylissa is a benzo survivor who may have gotten it from the benzo forums). The Protracted Section of Benzo Buddies is open only to those who've been off benzos for at least 18 months (at least it was when I was active there a few years ago). A large part of the reason for this is because the posts in that section scare new members who are just starting their taper. So using the 18-month time frame is more of a way of separating the battle weary survivors who still haven't healed from the impressionable newbies. 

 

The benzo forums focus solely on benzos. However, the majority of people coming into SA are dealing with polypharmacy issues, so it's much harder to pin a timeframe on any of this. You may want to check out the discussion on what PAWS means here: 

 

Protracted Withdrawal or PAWS (post-acute withdrawal syndrome) how long does it last?

 

And a discussion of the time frame for withdrawal is here: 

 

Are We There Yet? How Long is Withdrawal Going to Take?

[Armorall]

Wow, that was not a thread I should have read. But, I asked for it. 

[Gertie]

What does HA stand for?  I've seen people ask "how's your HA?"  Or one person said she got wd symptoms but attributed it to her HA.

 

[Altostrata]

I have not seen HA before. Could it refer to health anxiety?

[Shep]

Yes, I've seen health anxiety abbreviated as HA by folks who are experiencing this withdrawal symptom.