Some drugs produce effects without altering cellular function and without binding to a receptor. For example, most antacids decrease gastric acidity through simple chemical reactions; antacids are bases that chemically interact with acids to produce neutral salts. The primary action of cholestyramine, a bile acid sequestrant, is to bind bile acids in the GI tract.

Last full review/revision November 2007 by Angela Cafiero Moroney, PharmD