Meaning & use
Cytotec
Last updated
Meaning
noununcountabletrademarkmedical
A brand name for misoprostol, a medicine used to protect the stomach and also to start labor or end a pregnancy.
Grammar: Used as a proper name, so it takes no article and no plural: Cytotec was prescribed.
Patterns
- be prescribed Cytotec
- take Cytotec
The doctor prescribed Cytotec to protect her stomach while she took painkillers.
In some countries Cytotec is used to induce labor in hospital settings.
The label on the box said Cytotec, but the generic name is misoprostol.
Common combinations
- prescribe Cytotec
- The clinic may prescribe Cytotec for several different reasons.
- take Cytotec
- Patients are told exactly when to take Cytotec.
- Cytotec tablet
- Each Cytotec tablet contains a small dose of misoprostol.
- the generic form of Cytotec
- The generic form of Cytotec is usually much cheaper.
Synonyms and how they differ
- misoprostol
- This is the generic drug name, used in medical writing when the brand is not important.
Commonly confused: Cytotec or Cyclotec?
Cytotec vs Cyclotec
A different brand name for a different medicine, so the two are easy to mix up in writing.
Practice
Which sentence uses the brand name correctly?
Choose one answer.
Brand names like Cytotec are proper nouns, so they take no article and no plural: 'She took Cytotec every morning.' The other options treat it like a countable common noun.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “Cytotec”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.