Canadian Medical Guide > Chemicals and Drugs > Hematologic, Gastrointestinal, and Renal Agents > Gastrointestinal Agents Terms and Definitions

Gastrointestinal Agents

Medical Definition:	Drugs used for their effects on the gastrointestinal system, as to control gastric acidity, regulate gastrointestinal motility and water flow, and improve digestion.
Also Called:	Digestants,Gastric Agents

Gastrointestinal Agents Categories.

	Anti-Ulcer Agents - Various agents with different action mechanisms used to treat or ameliorate ulcers or irritation of the gastrointestinal tract.
	Antidiarrheals - Miscellaneous agents found useful in the symptomatic treatment of diarrhea. They have no effect on the agent(s) that cause diarrhea, but merely alleviate the condition.
	Cathartics - Agents that promote and/or ease defecation by accelerating the passage of feces through the large intestine, by influencing the consistency and amount of stool, and by facilitating the elimination of feces from the rectum. The terms laxative and cathartic reflect the typical intensity and latency of effect. A cathartic usually produces prompt fluid evacuation, while a laxative usually produces a soft formed stool over a protracted period; the same drug may act as a laxative or a cathartic depending on the dose administered or individual patient sensitivity. (From AMA Drug Evaluations Annual, 1994, p941)
	Cholagogues and Choleretics - Gastrointestinal agents that stimulate the flow of bile into the duodenum (cholagogues) or stimulate the production of bile by the liver (choleretic).
	Lipotropic Agents - Endogenous factors or drugs that act on fat metabolism by hastening the removal of or decreasing the deposit of fat in the liver. (From Dorland, 28th ed, p951)

Gastrointestinal Agents Medical Definitions and Terms

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