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Drug Guide — Medicines Explained in Plain Language
Welcome to the MedicalVideos.com Drug Guide: plain-language pages for 490 medicines people take every day. Each page explains what the medicine is for, its common side effects and its major cautions — and most pages carry a short kidney note, written from a kidney specialist’s perspective, explaining how the medicine and the kidneys affect each other. The guide deliberately contains no doses: how much to take is a decision for you and your prescriber.
Medicines that can harm the kidneys or the liver
Two reference lists, each written twice — once in plain language for patients and families, and once in clinical terms for health professionals:
Browse A–Z
A B C D E F G H I K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Z
Browse by type of medicine
Browse by condition
Medicines grouped by the condition they treat. Each condition page also links to the matching MedicalVideos.com condition hub, with videos, articles and guides.
Over-the-counter shelf
62 medicines you can buy without a prescription — pain relievers, allergy medicines, stomach remedies and more. “Over the counter” does not mean risk-free, so every page still lists side effects and cautions.
Frequently asked questions
Does this guide tell me how much of a medicine to take?
No. The guide deliberately contains no doses, strengths or schedules. It explains what each medicine is for, its common side effects and its major cautions in plain language. How much to take is a decision for you and your prescriber, based on your own health and blood tests.
What does the “kidney note” on a medicine page mean?
Many pages carry a short kidney note explaining how the medicine and the kidneys affect each other — for example whether the kidneys clear it from the body, whether it can strain the kidneys, or whether it is usually avoided when kidney function is low. Kidney notes are a special focus of this site, written from a kidney specialist’s perspective.
If a medicine is cleared by the kidneys, does that mean it damages them?
No — the two ideas are often confused. Many medicines (digoxin and gabapentin are examples) are simply removed from the body by the kidneys, so the amount prescribed changes when kidney function is low, but they do not themselves injure the kidneys. A smaller group of medicines can genuinely strain or damage the kidneys; those are collected on our nephrotoxic medicines page.
Can the contrast dye used for CT scans harm the kidneys?
Iodinated contrast — the dye injected for many CT scans — is the question patients ask about most. For people with healthy kidneys the risk is considered low. When kidney function is already significantly reduced, the scanning team may take precautions such as extra fluids, using the smallest amount of contrast, or choosing a different scan. If you have kidney disease and a scan with contrast is planned, mention it to the team beforehand.
Why are most cancer chemotherapy medicines and vaccines not in the guide?
Most chemotherapy is given in hospital under close specialist supervision and sits outside a general drug guide’s safe scope; the cancer medicines people take at home, such as hormonal breast-cancer tablets, are included. Vaccines are prevention rather than treatment and are planned as a separate section. Salt and prodrug variants of the same medicine are covered within the base medicine’s page rather than as separate entries.
A medicine I take is on a toxicity list — should I stop it?
No. Never stop a prescribed medicine on your own because it appears on a list. Many listed medicines are essential, and stopping suddenly can be far more dangerous than the kidney or liver risk. If you are worried, contact your doctor or pharmacist and ask whether the medicine should be reviewed.