What Meds are critical to know ?

Hoppy1 · Dec 3, 2008

I think you should know your hypertensive meds and the boundaries in which to not give. This helped me out a lot. Especially in med surg. Hope it helps..

kat7ap · Dec 4, 2008

This totally depends on where you plan on working. Med/surg type jobs you will probably deal a lot with narcotics, antibiotics, cardiac drugs, insulins and diabetic drugs. LTC you will see a billion different kind of meds, a lot of psychotropics. OB I dealt with mostly PO narcotics and Ibuprofen, and IV antiemetics and had to know drugs given for hemorrhage and Pitocin of course.

donsterRN, ASN, BSN · Dec 4, 2008

Digoxin is a big one to know. Your antihypertensives and their various classes, plus the diuretics. Also, the SSRI's, MAOI's and tricyclics...

sasha2lady · Mar 3, 2009

oh man...so many meds....I work in ltc so I give ALOT of meds...umm....each is important in its own way but think if your abc type stuff....your respiratory meds, cardiac/bp meds, diabetics is a big one esp insulins..id know the difference in them ..which you can and cant mix and why...how long it takes for them to kick in etc....narcotics is a given...pain is your 5th vs and the most ignored one ...hmm...what else? antipsychotics is fairly common but they all have multiple uses...ex...lamictal tx' seizure disorders and bipolar...ativan txs anxiety, insomnia and nausea and can be used pre and postop in some cases ....depakote is used for headaches, seizures, and behavior problems u see in dementias. ......aricept can cause major wt loss.....you cant mix lantus with any other insulin and it doesnt have a peak and lasts 24 hrs. beta blockers are usually held if pulse is 60 or lower ...synthroid is held if pulse is over 100 at our facility.....lipitor can cause leg muscles to become weak and atrophy...elavil can tx depression, chronic pain disorders ...remeron can tx depression and help increase appetite ...and i have noticed at my facility that alot of pts are coming in and requesting alot of herbal meds like coq10, flax seed, fish oil, garlic, colon clenz, etc....which was rarely seen 2 yrs ago here....zpacks can help tx bronchitis and uri's for up to a week after they are finished....coumadins.....know your coumadins and about pt inr's....thats a big one. ...thats just to name a few that i can think of right off the top of my head. I loved pharm...what i did was try to relate the med info to someone i knew...in or outside of work....so that i could remember which drug would tx what condition and how that person looked or acted on it. i even drew out weird pics and colored things in diff colors....helped me out alot and trust me...i am no artist...cant hardly draw a stick figure but it worked wonders for me.

BerryHappy · Mar 3, 2009

HAHAHA! ALL of them are important to know! Doesn't matter where you work, working in OB you might get a pt c CA, working in LTC you might get a pt c a fungus, working in med-surg you might get a who was on a psychotrop. Everyone takes supplements, most take pain relievers. Just learn about them as you go along and WRITE unknown ones down so you can study them later... :twocents:

systoly · Mar 4, 2009

The ones you give. I still carry a Rx reference. Even something seemingly insignificant such as an iron supplement can have dramatic interactions with other Rx. Also look at half life.

tammy07 · Mar 4, 2009

I also carry a small drug book with me, I work ltc and the hypertensives and insulins are my biggest concerns....

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Mar 4, 2009

The answer to your question depends on which area you'll be working. We don't know if you'll be employed at a nursing home, med/surg floor, psychiatric hospital, hospice, home health agency, clinic, doctors' office, and so on.