Is there an easy way memorizing drug names?

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Hi, I am a first semester nursing student and I need some advice about how to study pharmacology or how to memorize drug names. Can you help me please?

Specializes in CTICU.

I always make up poems/mnemonics/songs with the name and action.

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" I know where you are coming from. It is a very overwhelming topic"....I've completed my pre-reqs and start my 1st semester of nursing school on the 18th. My pharm instructor emailed us with the assignments to completed b4 the first class.OMG! I was in tears (embarrassingily) after the first chapter. Is it practical to take notes on everything u read? I feel lost and the semester hasnt even began yet....I can totally relate!

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I just had my Pharm I midterm today and I did decently considering I studied mainly for my med-surg class all week. But it is definitely important to know what each class of drug does first and foremost. The best way for me to remember was to talk it out. I taught my family, friends, and my two dogs about what each class of drug does (its effects, adverse effects, etc).

Also make sure you focus on specifics regarding the classifications such as what the differences are between beta1, beta2, alpha1, and alpha2 when studying Adrenergic Antagonists. Good luck on all your pharm tests!!

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I can't thank you all enough for offering what you know best and what works for you well. Thank you so much.

Mariamawit

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Wow- thanks Scjoll, that's what I needed. I can expand from there.

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Where do you get this "sheet" from that already has the classes broken down for you?

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

Here is a flash card website..

http://quizlet.com/3011426/medications-chp-29-flash-cards/

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Specializes in geriatrics.

Try to pick out what makes the drugs different from each other. For example, all drugs cause nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea... they probably ask you about any of those side effects on the test.

Tetracyclines will stain children's teeth

Aminoglycosides are nephrotoxic, ototoxic, and neuretoxic...... they require a peak and trough

If you are answering a question and you have absolutely no clue..... pick the worst side effect.

STUDY STUDY STUDY

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Specializes in CNA.
mariamawit said:
Hi, I am a first semester nursing student and I need some advice about how to study pharmacology or how to memorize drug names. Can you help me please?

I learned them through sheer repetition. I remember first year getting thrown name after name in my first semester and being completely overwhelmed - Lasix, Bumex, Lovenox, Heparin, Atenolol, Narcan, Nitroglycerin, Nitroprussin, Metformin, Lantus, Novolog, Sinemet, Keppra, Ativan,.. I thought "No way am I going to remember this stuff"

Even drugs you already know have different properties, actions and uses you have to learn. Tylenol, Aspirin, Vicodin, Valium, Morphine, Percocet, Aleve, Benadryl....

Makes your head spin. But after months and months of tying these drugs to physiological actions while studying body systems and giving them in clinical they eventually start to stick.

Also, your instructors tell you to make those drug cards for a reason. Do them and refer to them often. Keep your drug book handy and look up EVERY SINGLE drug you see that you don't know about. (Early on this will be all of them). If you are watching TV and see a drug, try to think of its mechanism of action and nursing considerations. If you don't know, look that little mother up.

It eventually gets drilled into your being.

Have fun.

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Pretty catchy thinking. Thank you. That helped.

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

from another member.,.....

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♪♫ in my ♥ 5

Greetings.

Attached are 12 Word documents which I made when I took pharmacology. All the information was based on the ATI study guide since that constituted the final exam in our class.

They are formatted as 3x5 cards and were printed on individual 3x5 cards.

Have at 'em if you think they'll help... they certainly worked for me.

Again, they are entirely my own creation based on the information out of the ATI book. I make no promises as to their accuracy (though I rocked pharm so they couldn't be too bad).

Feedback is welcome.

Attached Files

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Some drug classifications are easy to remember because of there endings.

- olol or lol drugs are Beta Blockers

- statin's are lipid lowering agents

- caine's are usually numbing agents

- il's or ril's are ACE inhibitors

- sartan's are ARB's

Those are some of them that I use to remember. I know that some antibiotics are linked with similar endings like -sporins and what not, you could go through drug classes and write down how they are similar and linked. Figure out your safety parameters for each class and then study that way. (Just in case you aren't familiar with safety parameters they are like HR and BP for the ACEI and such, aka reason you look at when determining if you should give the med.)

Hope this helps!

So you can treat it kind of like med term by mesmerizing roots, prefixes and suffixes? Or am I miss understanding.

I'm about to start my LPN program and just realized I'd have to know drug names, hadn't considered that before.

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