What Are Acidic Drugs?

You probably have some acidic drugs in your medicine cabinet.

Pharmaceuticals are classified as "base" or "acidic" drugs. An acidic drug is primarily composed of molecules of an acidic nature. Acidic drugs are commonly sold as over-the-counter medications, so you probably have some of these in your medicine cabinet.

Definition of Acidic

"Acidic" is most easily defined as sour-tasting, containing an acid, or having excessive hydrogen atoms. Acidic drugs have a phenyl ring (ph) level of less than 7.

Types of Acid

Some of the different types of acids used in drugs can include nitric, sulfuric or hydrochloric acids. The acid levels in these drugs are low-level and not dangerous.

Examples of Acidic Drugs

Common acidic drugs are aspirin, penicillin and phenytoin (an anti-seizure drug). In fact, people who suffer heartburn after taking aspirin are often suffering from a reaction to the acid in the pill.

References

• Kennesaw State University: Identifying a Drug as an Acid or Base
• Biology Online: Acidic Definition