Medications that inhibit an effect are called?

• A. Blockers
• B. Antagonists
• C. Inhibitors
• D. Agonists

Answer: (B)

Antagonists are medications that oppose and block the effect of other substances at receptors, preventing the usual response. They work by binding to receptors and stopping agonists—like neurotransmitters or drugs—from activating those receptors. Some antagonists compete directly with the agonist for the same binding site (competitive antagonism), so higher levels of the agonist can overcome the block. Others change the receptor’s shape or function in a way that reduces or eliminates the response (noncompetitive antagonism), regardless of how much agonist is present. This blocking action is what distinguishes antagonists from agonists, which actively produce a response.

Blockers is a broader, less precise term for substances that impede action; inhibitors usually refer to blocking enzymatic activity or metabolic pathways rather than receptor activation. Agonists, by contrast, activate receptors to produce effects.