question re: meds on nclex that you have never heard of?

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I just recently started studying again for my attempt # 2 at NCLEX and I remember from the first time I had kind of a lot of meds I had never heard of (obviously I am studying pharm better this time!!) and the question did not contain a hint of what the med could be for. Does anyone have any hints on how to answer or guess on these med questions?

And furthermore, does anyone have any good tips on how to study all meds effectively?

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Specializes in lots of specialties.

Yeah I know what you mean . I had questions that were pretty much like " pt is on drug X, what will the side effects be?"

The whole time Im like ummmmmm, no hints as to what this may be used for and some of it was stuff I had never heard. I felt so stupid.I came to the conclusion that there was no way to know everysingle drug and its noit like they give you 3 or four drugs in the same category. It always seemed to be the most uncommon drug...and im looking likie am I really supposed to know this?????!!!!!!!

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Specializes in O.R..

i heard some meds on nclex are totally experimental questions?? does any know if thats true??

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.
i heard some meds on nclex are totally experimental questions?? does any know if thats true??

Some of the questions are experimental. No one know which they are

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Specializes in lots of specialties.

exactly and that doesnt help the fact that sometimes its hard to know what the drugs are. guess ill just have to study as much as I can

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The names of the medications are your hints. They will usually be prils, olols, sones - meds that can be identified by the suffixes.

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When I came across meds that I couldn't identify, I just flat out guessed, without any kind of hint being given. I noticed that none of the names looked odd, so there really was no way to eliminate any of them. If there are four choices, you have a 25% chance of being right.

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Specializes in Hem/Onc, LTC, AL, Homecare, Mgmt, Psych.

sue's totally right about the suffixes. i worked in long term care passing about 1,000 medications to residents a week so pharmacology was easy for me.

here's a list though, it's on other parts of all nurses as well:

medication suffixes

(-olol) beta 1 blockers (adrenergic)

(-cillin) antibiotics

(-micin) antivirals, watch for ototoxicity

(-vastatin) antihyperlipidemia, antihypercholesterolimia

(-tidine) anti-ulcerant, h2 receptor antagonist; preventive treatment, no signs of ulcers

(-pine) ca-channel blocker, htn affects the blood vessel of heart

(-rin) anticoagulant,

(-dol) non-opioid analgesic

(-done) opioid analgesics

(-sone) corticosteroids, anti-inflammatory

(-nitrate) anti-anginal, vasodilator

(-nol) antigout

(-mine) anti-histamine

(-sartan) ace ii antagonist,

(-kinase) anti-thrombolitic, thrombolitic agent

(-pril) ace i inhibitors, anti htn

(-mide) loop diuretics

(-lactone) potassium-sparing diuretics

(-prazole) proton-pump inhibitors;

(-pium) relaxes bronchi

(-aluminum, magnesium, hydroxide) antacids

(-zepam, -lam) anti-anxiety, major tranquilizers

(caine) local anesthetics

(-ide) oral hypoglycemics

(-nium) neuromuscular blocking agent

(-vir) antivirals

don't crush er, cr, ec (extended release, controlled release or enteric coated)

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Thanks for that list, 1214RN.

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thanks for that list. i will be taking my test next monthon the 4th

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Specializes in Oncology, Med/Surg, Step Down- as STNA.

THANK GOODNESS I READ THIS POST! That list is wonderful!!! I take nclex-pn on the 13th, so this came right on time!!! THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Specializes in Hem/Onc, LTC, AL, Homecare, Mgmt, Psych.

Good luck on the upcoming tests!

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