Pharm Crisis!!

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Ok so I'm taking my NCLEX soon...and as the date gets closer I feel like I don't remember anything or know anything... anyways,... I was just wondering if anyone has any tips on memorizing meds... it seems like all the meds combine and ugh!! Any tricks to the categories besides like pines, prils, olols?? thanks

oh and how do u guys remember the timelines for the immunizations??

thanks!!

Well, we have the same problem! i'm also worried with Pharma too! I just hate it but what can we do, we must expect a lot of unfamiliar meds in the exam. aaaagghh.. May the good Lord guide us throughout this exam... I can't really memorize or even remember meds easily. My anxiety is taller than me already..:o

Here are some more suffixes:

-ase, -plase: thrombolytics

-azole: antifungal antimicrobial

cef-, ceph-: cephalosporins. Check for penicillin allergy!

-cillin: penicillin. Check for allergy!

-cycline: tetracycline abx

-dipine: CCB

-floxacin: flouroquinolone abx

-micin, -mycin: aminoglycoside or macrolide abx

-nitr-: nitrate vasodialator

-lol: beta blocker

-parin: anticoagulant

-phylline: xanthine bronchodialator

-prazole: GI proton pump inhibitor, antiulcer

-pril: ACE inhibitor

-sartan: angiotensin II receptor antagonist

-sone,- lone, pred-: corticosteroid

-statin: HMG coenzyme A reductase inhibitor

sulfa-: sulfonamide abx

-terol: adrenergic bronchodialator

-tidine: H2 histamine antagonist, antiulcer

-triptan: vascular headache supressant, serotonin agonist

-vir: antiviral

-zepam, -zolam: benzodiazepine

-zosin: peripheral alpha 1 blocker for hypertension

Hope these help. I just took the nclex today, and didn't recognize ANY of the drugs on it based on the classes I learned. However, I definitely found this useful for my hospital pharm exam last week, and it is good to know anyway.

The few drugs on my test were incomprehensible to me, so I had to guess. If all else fails, then just guess and move on to questions that are easier to deal with. Good luck.

Specializes in Med-Surg/Oncology.

I tried to memorize the immunization schedules several times and just couldn't get it to stick, so I didn't burn precious brain cells, patience, and time trying to.. I was fortunate enough to not have that on NCLEX!

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