misoprostol
- 1A drug used for several purposes, including preventing stomach ulcers caused by other medications and inducing abortion.
Clinicians often prescribe misoprostol alongside long-term anti-inflammatory drugs to guard against ulcers.
In many countries, misoprostol is given together with mifepristone to terminate early pregnancies.
Note
Its name can be taken apart: m(ethyl) + iso- + -prost-, the stem for prostaglandin, + -ol. That stem names what it is, a synthetic prostaglandin E1 analog. Besides guarding against NSAID-induced ulcers, it is used in obstetrics and gynecology to manage miscarriage and control postpartum hemorrhage. Like most drug names it is a mass noun: a dose or course of misoprostol, never "a misoprostol."
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Origin
The name is formed from m(ethyl) plus iso- plus -prost- (from prostaglandin) plus the ending -ol.