NCLEX Medications - Page 2

Insulin, Coumadin, Heparin, antihypertensives, viagra, digitalis, ritalin, actonel, accutane, anti-ulcer medications, nitroglycern, to name a few. Try to look at the suffixes:

ace inhibitors end with 'pril (eg: captopril) *note that this drug increases potassium in the blood,

angiotensinogen 2 inhibitors end in 'sartan (eg: losartan),

beta blockers end with 'olol (eg: metoprolol) *caution with patients who are diabetic or who are asthmatic,

cholesterol reducing drugs usually end with 'statin (eg: atorvastatin) * note that if the patient experiences muscular pain, they should stop immediately and report it to the doctor, also not to consume grapefruit juice,

impotence drugs end with "defil (eg: sildenefil-hope I spelled it correctly...if not please excuse the typo) *note that you cannot take this drug if you are taking nitrates such as nitroglycerin or isosorbide and go to the doctor if an erection last longer than 4 hours,

accutane is an acne drug, where a pregnancy test must be done on females before prescribing them

actonel (again, this may be a typo) cannot be taken unless a person is able to sit up for at least 1/2 hour to an hour after adminstration.

Know the acting times of insulin, which is fast acting, long acting or the lente. They may ask when will a person become hypoglycemic, and that would be during peak hours.

penicillin: if a person has an allergy to penicillin, they may be at risk for an allergy to a cephalosporin, in that case suggest a macrolide such as clarithromycin. Macrolides are known to cause severe stomach pain for some people. Also, if a nurse administers penicillin or cephalosporin, that the patient should remain with the nurse for 1/2 hour afterwards to intervene with allergic reactions.

Most drugs that end with 'mycin may cause nephrotoxicity or ototoxicity

Parameters for digitalis administration, and also that if potassium is low and calcium and magnesium is high, there is a higher chance for digitalis toxicity.

corticosteriods usually end with 'sone (eg: predinsone), may cause medication related diabetes, increase chances of infection, cause Cushoid symptoms (buffalo hump in back, thin skin, easy to bruise, etc...)

Aspirin should not be consumed with alcohol, increases bleeding, causes ulcers, should be taken with food to diminish gastric distress

Antidote for tylenol is Mucomyst.

There may be many more and also, there is a high chance that many drugs that you never heard of may be on the NCLEX exam. I was fortunate, I knew most of the drugs except two (had 11 drug questions, one calculations question), but, I know many that saw 'drugs prescribed in planet Mars" A good summary of the drugs and the suffixes I mentioned are in Delmar's Comprehensive Exam Review for NCLEX LPN or RN. I heard that the RNs got some chemotherapeutic drugs. I hope that this helped. Pharmacology was a major nightmare for me as well. It was never explained to me in this manner and I didn't discover this until I took a review course specific for pharmacology as well as purchasing the Delmar's book I mentioned. Now, pharmacology has almost become an obsession for me. I carry my PDA everywhere I go to work. Good luck! I know this was long (sorry about that)

WOW! Thank you so much for this valuable information.

I will be taking nclex in about four months. I am always looking or test taking tips and info about nclex. I am really nervous about. I am trying to get a heads up on it now.

Thanks, again.

I'm graduating in June and fingers crossed will be taking the NCLEX soon there after. Yay for us!!

Just a tip for those who'll be taking the NCLEX in the next few months, watch the TV and try to remember the ads for the meds they are pushing! Our Head of Nursing has been told over and over by many students who took the NCLEX in the last 6-12 months or so that most of the meds they had on the NCLEX were those that were always being advertised on tv! I guess the rationale is if people watching tv can tell you what the med is for, a nurse should certainly know.