Pharmacology study tips, please.

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Right now I am in pharmacology and I'm doing well in the class but the exams are bringing me down! Whenever I take an exam, it feels like my mind goes blank when I come across a question pertaining to medications. Don't get me wrong, I do study, A LOT. But has anyone come across a better way to study other then flashcards?

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Specializes in Oncology.

I am in pharm as well. Its a killer! My number one way to study pharm is utilizing concept maps. It helps me to tie things all togther. I use colors and different shapes and it helps to make the info POP into my brain. I'm a very visual learner and can navigate my way through them in my brain while I'm taking my exams.

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I agree with Bellafsu89 if you can associate the med with what it does or what body part it affects you may be able to remember it better.

There is always the flash cards! If you do something enough, you WILL remember it. I can honestly tell you that you will learn so much more about pharmacology when you are actually doing your clinicals that you ever will sitting in a classroom. Do your best to pass your class and then learn as much as you can when you actually have patients. Once you can see how a medication works with a specific disease process you will be amazed at what you can remember!

Good luck to you!

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There are pharmacology flash cards that have illustrated people on them with the name of the med and common side effects illustrated on the person. Without them I would've failed. I'm sorry I can't recall the name but I got them at Barnes and noble.

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Specializes in Forensic Psych.

Have you tried a book like Pharmacology Success? Might help take you from rote memorization to actual application. Flash cards are good, but in my opinion they're only a starting point when you're studying nursing.

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I struggled through pharmacology as well. I found that concept maps were the best study technique as well. Also a study partner made a big difference.

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Thank you for the suggestion. I will look into those.

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I've never heard of flashcards like that. Those sound so much better! Thank you!

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Specializes in ER trauma, ICU - trauma, neuro surgical.

Try and group the medications based on the generic name b/c most of them have a similar base term. Dibucaine, lidocaine, benzocaine, tetracaine all cause numbness. Learn how they interact with the body. How do they cause numbness? What is happening on a cellular level in the neurons? Many of them have the same side effects, drug interactions, and mechanism of action. Where they vary is metabolism or elimination. Some may have a half life of 1 hr or 12 hrs. Know their classifications. Diazepam, clonazepam, midazolam, lorazepam, alprazolam are all benzodiazepines. They all have the same basic effects. They all end in -zolam or -zepam. If a new drug called forazepam hits the market next year, you can bet on it being a benzo.

Know the difference between agonist, antigonist, anticholenergic, cholenergic, adreneric etc. Knowing what a beta2 agonist does can help you identify how a medication reacts with the body. These terms closely specify the mechanism of action. I was really bad at mixing up agonists or adrenergics b/c it all sounded the same. I zeroed in on the beta2 part, but didn't pay attention to whether it was blocked or enhanced. I payed for on the exam.

Next, study the tables in the book. It will list all the drugs together in one group. Stare at it. Identify the names and catch the similarities. Almotriptan, frovatriptan, naratriptan, eletriptan, rizatriptan all end in -triptan. All of them are selective serotonin receptor agonists. Most of these drugs are very similar, minus a couple of specifications. If one of the listed drugs is different, make a note (sometimes they like throwing that curve ball).

They are mostly looking for use, mechanism of action, adverse reactions/side effects, half life, or drug interactions. Exams love asking about drug interactions. What med can you not take with grapefruit? What happens if these two meds are given together?

Study toxicity levels. What happens if someone takes too much of a tricyclic antidepressant or maybe digoxin? Some drugs only work after a therapeutic levels is reached, but there are factors that can lead to toxicity. Renal failure, liver failure, infection can all lead to toxicity and the side effects become enhanced or toxic.

Lastly, study the same things over and over. Give yourself tons of time before the test. Don't study 2 days before the test.....it won't work. There's too more info.

On top of normal studying, dedicate every Sunday to studying your notes (for the week) as if you are taking an exam on Monday. Even though my next exam was 4 weeks away, I would have a mock cram session for the week. So, when I had to take the real exam, I had already engrained it in my head 3 weeks ago. Then, I would constantly go back and review the same thing over and over until it was redundant.

Good luck!

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
AshleeG said:
I've never heard of flashcards like that. Those sound so much better! Thank you!

Some flash cards.....enjoy

https://allnurses.com/pharmacology-flashcards-drug-cards-t394218/

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There's a lot of memorization in pharmacology but if you also understand the material, it is much easier to remember it.

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Yes, grouping the meds together will help you memorize the drugs better

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