HELP, Pharmacology on NCLEX!!!!

Nursing Students NCLEX

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Does anyone have any good tips for studying pharmacology for the NLCEX? I know I need to study CLASSIFICATIONS....but what am I suppose to do about those questions where I DON'T KNOW the classification??? :uhoh3:

I've found this to be extreamly difficult for me! A lot of the time I am seeing questions with these drug names I've never heard of!!! Is there a trick to figuring out what kind of drug it is? (I wish they all had the "lol" or "pril" to help me!) Or do I just have to MEMORIZE every-single-drug ever made and all its side effects? :uhoh21:

ahhhhhhh........help please!

Specializes in Neuro Surgery,telemetry.

there is a thread on this site about medicines and i find it very interesting and helpful. it is called MED SAVVY under general discussion forum.

https://allnurses.com/forums/f279/good-drug-resources-195803.html

above is the thread for good drug resources. hope this helps:P and goodluck to all of us:)

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Specializes in Derm/Wound Care/OP Surgery/LTC.

Okay, ready for more of my silly stuff?

Here you go:

Tetracycline - I remember TNT - Ticks 'N Teeth. It is prescribed for Rocky Mountain spotted fever (Ticks) and it is bad for the Teeth (in kids).

Tx of Gonorrhea? Streptomycin. I remember Strippers get Gonorrhea (Strip=Strep) and no, I don't think strippers get Gonorrhea...it's just my own silly thing, so no nasty remarks please! *L*

To remember a side effect of Gentamicin I think..."Gentlemen don't listen" Gentlemen (Gentamicin) and don't listen reminds me that you need hearing exams because Gentamicin is ototoxic!

To remember therapeutic creatinine level: Remember the word "nine" in the end of the word! 0.6 + 1.2 = NINE!!!! Therapeutic level is 0.6-1.2!!! Cute, eh?

Here's a really dumb one but it works for me:

To remember to take Methotrexate on an empty stomach, remember its initials MTX then think My Tummy..and "X" as a NO! NO food in the Tummy!

yes, I know, ridiculous...*L*

Ditropan toxicity? It's a bladder med. The toxic effect is restlessness. I think...when I really have to PEE...I get restless. (yeah. I know. :imbar )

Here's another for the use of Trental. Trental is what is given for intermittant claudication. I think "Trent treats Claude to lunch". Now, lunch has nothing to do with this. *L* But, it helps to remember what the med is for.

Digitalis? Should be taken same time every day. I think of "digital watch" for "same time" = digitalis. The full thing I remember is, I set my digital watch every day after breakfast. This reminds me that not only do you take it at the same time everyday, but you take it after breakfast.

How I remember that sodium bicarbonate is an alkalinizer? Simple. I think of Alka Seltzer and the word carbonate in sodium bicarb. Alka Seltzer causes carbonation! There ya go!

Why take Iron with vitamin C? Because Ferris Bueller drinks orange juice in the morning! (Ferrous Sulfate + orange juice/vit C + morning administration)

Here's a good one. To remember Mannitol is an osmotic diuretic? I think of this: Ozzy's music gave me a headache, but man, it all went away when I got out of the water! (Ozzy = osmotic/headache=intercranial pressure/Man it all=Mannitol/got out of the water=diuretic)

You know, you can make anything up to remember anything you need to if you try hard enough! Make up silly sentences/rhymes...whatever it takes! If you repeat it seven times out loud, it generally sticks!

Feel free to use any of my nutty stuff. As for me, I am NCLEX bound tomorrow...so pray for me!!!!:banghead:

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hey i found this book MEMORY NOTEBOOK FOR NURSING PHARMACOLOGY AND DIAGNOSTICS. anyone familiar with it? you think this ones good? i read some here in d forum bout it with recomendations and praises.. well, i read the review for it too in barnes and nbles and amazon..the rates were perfect 5 full stars. anyone tell me bout your experience in this book or other review books for pharma! geezz... i just thought y dont just pharmacist do what hey have to deal and that MEDICATION (period!)

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Specializes in Rural Health.

Here is my take on the NCLEX drugs - there is NO WAY to know them all - it's impossible. I even had 2 questions on a drug that hasn't been used in well over 10 years and is now off the market....kid you not (I looked it up after I left the center).

I had a lot of questions that said....what will you tell your patient to report as well as these 4 pateints are taking blah, blah blah drug, then listed some S/S and which one would you call back 1st.

If you know your MAIN drugs and you have an idea what they do - all will be good. There is no way to know them all and you just have to guess from time to time. I have no clue if this worked, but if the stem said "common", I picked a "common" side effect. If it said "serious", then I picked the S/E that can kill the patient the quickest.

I passed with 75 questions and I probably had well over 20 questions dealing with drugs in some fashion, shape or form......

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i love the "common for common" and the "serious for d s/sx wholl kill d pts fast" cool! yeah i know theres no way icn remember ALL those drugs! hope it wont hook me down again the nxt time i tke nclex. thanks peeps. Godbless..more advices? how about this book? memory notebook of nursing? wats ur comment on this?

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