My son made a very good point today.
Why do the give medicine weird, hard to pronounce, non-descriptive names?
Why not just call them, 'Oh God I Got A Headache' or Snot-B-Gone or Itchy Rash Relief?

Then you don't have to spend fifteen minutes in the drugstore reading labels.

I think it all stems from old latin names for the ingredients, whether theyre chemicals, elements or plant based.

And the pharmaceutical company trying to look clever!!

Ibuprofen - whyyyyy?

I like the word "Tincture". It's sounds like an old fashioned homemade remedy thingy, I like that.

LleeLlee said:

It probably has something to do with this being its proper name:

2-(p-isobutylphenyl)propionic acid

littlemissG said:

i don't know, but i'm going to name my daughters levitra, allegra and cialis.

Anxiety said:

Doesnt allegra mean fast?

susannah said:

yes, but it's also an allergy medicine, isn't it? ask your doctor. it might be right for you.

Anxiety said:

I dont have allergies so I wouldnt know!

susannah said:

I should ask the chemist for that.

LleeLlee said:

I dare you!!!

susannah said:

no allegra for you, then! think of all the light-headedness, nausea, severe palpitations, constipation, sexual side effects and possible death you'll be missing!

Anxiety said:

Lol too bad eh! Damn!

Anxiety said:

That's my favorite! Even better than oily discharge!

CarrieMpls said:

oh, i like "shy bladder", too.

Anxiety said:

Thats so quaint! Like something your Gran would say!

susannah said:

better practice pronouncing it first

littlemissG said:

Is there a doctor on the org??

luv4u said:

DrMcMeekle.

LleeLlee said:

Where's the licence??

it's all latin innit?

luv4u said:

Geek coming in

Sometimes the drug name pertains to the active chemical ingredient as illustrated by the Ibuprofen example above. Another example is

Paracetamol (in the UK) or Acetomenophen (Tylenol - US) is 4-(Acetylamino)phenol

I once took part in a survey to name new drugs with questions like "Which of these conveys the message of femininity?"

Femanex
Gynaecol
Colafem



I think Pharma companies try to put an element of "science" in their names so that people believe that they will work and so buy them. But at the same time try to add a bit of lay speak in there too so that they don't completely alienate the consumer.

A lot of naming drugs also has to do with Patent rights and licensing of drugs, they have to create a BRAND from the drug, you can't patent a chemical!! You have to patent the application and copyright the name. Often the generic drug name is closer to the real active ingredient than the brand name drug to make it different, but still credible.

Brand - Tylenol
Drug - 500mg 4-(Acetylamino)phenol

Brand - Walgreens Acetomenophen
Drug - 500mg 4-(Acetylamino)phenol

But I would always buy a drug that did exactly as it says on the box

Brand - Headache-be-gone
Drug - 500mg 4-(Acetylamino)phenol

However, if you name a drug Headache-be-gone how would you then use it for other analgesic properties. We would need a lot of other labels including:

Period painaway
no-more-backpain
I-twisted-my ankle-and-the-swelling-and-pain-would-be-much-better-if-you-took-this

luv4u said:

He printed it off the Internet.

LleeLlee said:

not even. he won it in a raffle.

Anxiety said:

Anxiety said:

LleeLlee said:

I thought he went into the priesthood.

Ace said:

He practices medicine on the side.

Do you have an ailment I can help you with?

I'm on Orofar at the moment.

I actually like this name. Sounds like a Lord of the Rings-character.