I have my first pharm test next week and I'm very anxious. I feel like I don't know anything about the prototype drugs! My teacher makes power points and pretty much reads them verbatim with little or no input. Any study tips?

Other than having a firm understanding of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics much of pharma is memorization.

Think about the mechanism of action of a drug and that should give you insight into the adverse effects and toxicity. And remember, when you try and cram (everyone does it before a test) try and cram the things that make a drug unique.

I make charts in Word with pertinent information and color code by type/classification. For example, beta blockers would be green, ace inhibitors would be yellow, etc. I list each prototype drug the instructor gives along with what its for, a few important side effects, interactions, & route. I'm a visual learner so I've found drawing silly pictures helps, too.

Good luck!

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Honestly? I watch TV. I rewind and play the important medication commercials (that ladies voice really sticks in your head) and I watch the TraumaER shows...when they talk about meds a person is taking or they are giving I pause, tell myself what they are for and continue watching for verification. Now, while watching TV for fun if there is a medical aspect to it, I will call the diagnosis, interventions and medications before they get to it and then play to see if I am right! Most meds have the same ending if they are in the same class, so just remember the "olol" and "dine" and "azols" and others like that and it will help so much!

Another member..

https://allnurses.com/pharmacology-flashcards-drug-cards-t394218/

I studied pharm with several different methods.

Method 1: Flashcards. On my flashcards I would usually do name(s) of drug on front or a type of drug [i.e. beta blocker]. Then on the front I'd have some ?s for that drug or type such as what it treats, mech. of action, absolute contraindications, things to watch out for, 'black box warnings,' side effects, things to monitor, special education, or a hint about a funny quirk of the drug. Now... Sometimes it is best to do the whole type of drugs if most of the drugs in that category share a lot of characteristics, then make flashcards for the things that are different for just 1 drug.

Method 2: Make blank question/answer sheets for myself, while going through notes/slides from class; print a few and practice (sort of like flashcard, but requires writing which helps me learn). For example something like: Warfarin, also called ____, is used for _____. The lab to measured is ___ and is should be within _____. In case of Warfarin toxicity, administer _____. When giving Warf. monitor ___. Do not give to ____, also contraindicated in ________ (try to name about 3 things). If used concurrently with heparin or aspirin __________ may increase. A common drug that may decrease the anticoag effects of Warf. is _____.

Method 3: (My peers especially liked this) Mind maps. So you have Pain Meds right? It's pretty obvious what pain meds do, but for all pain meds the things you monitor are essentially the same so make a branch for that. Most of the drugs also share contraindications, side effects, and things to be alert for--make branches. Then you can make branches for: NSAIDs, Acetaminophen, Opioid agonists, Opioid antagonists, Opioid agonist-antagonists, Adjuvents for Pain. Off of those you can list drugs in each category and special info. for each category or drug. Some people like the mind map because 1.) heavy visual (use different colors), 2.) kinesthetic to make 3.) you can sort of actually visualize the mind map when you're taking the test 4.) it breaks everything up into chunks, but also keeps similarities together so you memorize smarter, not harder.

Gooooooood luck :)

Thanks for all the tips! I ended up with a 90%. :-)

Whooo hoo!! 90% is awesome! Great job!