How to study meds?

xmilkncookiesx, RN · Jun 13, 2016

I just bombed my first pharm exam today. We have a total of 6 more left for this summer.

Our professor said everything on the exam will be from the ppts and med cards. We can use a 3x5 index card front and back for whatever.

This exam was on antidepressants, antipsychotics, and anxiolytics-hypnotics and sedation-hypnotics

It was EXTREMELY hard! I thought everything I had studied for, and even put on the notecard would be beneficial and it wasn't!! Idk if I'm studying wrong or what. But it frustrates me and I want to be able to know these meds as much as possible (it's impossible to know EVERYTHING, but it's beneficial if I can know as much as possible).

So what I put on my card for example, are lists of antidepressants (MAOIs, TCAs, SSRIs, SNRIs) their action, interactions, and side effects. I even put meds down both generic and brand.

BARELY anything was on the exam from my card! People have told me before to study meds by their class, prefix and suffixes as well. I did that.

What my professor did, was randomly selected specific meds out of a class, and asked what their side effects are or what would you do if they're taking this med and prescribed this med. I can't explain it, but I know I'm studying wrong but idk how to study the right way ... Or the SMART way.

I grouped my meds by their class, action, and their prefix and suffixes. But I'm so confused because all of the meds don't have the same side effects, prefix, suffixes, interactions, although they're all in the same class. And it confuses me because I'm studying how they're so identical yet, on the exam, it asks for the most randomness thing from any med.

Can someone please help me study a smart way? I feel like what I studied for, all went over my head when I was taking he exam. Right when I left, I thought about everything and was like, "how the hell did I miss those!!"

I was trying to map out my meds as well, so that I can visually see and understand them. My professor said to just study the meds and ppts. The ppts aren't helpful. They're sometimes different than what the book says. Not the wording, but it's complete different information that what the book provides and it confuses me because idk what to go off of. The book, or the ppts? [emoji17]