Vitamin

A Vitamin is an organic molecule required by a living organism in minute amounts for normal health. An organism deprived of all sources of a particular vitamin will eventually suffer from disease symptoms specific to the missing vitamin.

Colloquial usage of the term

• The sedative Ketamine is often called Vitamin K when used as a recreational drug.
• Vitamin V is a colloquialism for Viagra, Vitamin Z for Zoloft, and Vitamin R for Ritalin, especially when implying that these drugs are overprescribed (or, as a hyperbole, taken as commonly as vitamins).
• Likewise, Vitamin A and Vitamin C are sometimes used as slang terms for alcoholic beverages and caffeine, respectively.
• Ativan an antianxiety agent is often called "Vitamin A" (off the record).
• Antipsychotic drug haldol is sometimes referred to as Vitamin H in psych hospitals (off-the-record, of course).
• Vitamin W is a colloquialism for water.
• Vitamin I is a colloquialism for ibuprofen.
• Colloquially, the word vitamin is often used to refer to vitamin supplements, products, often in pill form, that contain one or more purified vitamins which are used to supplement the vitamin content of a diet.