Nobody memorizes 400 drugs one at a time. Nurses learn the ending. The suffix tells you the drug family, the family tells you what it does, and what it does tells you what to check before you give it. That is most of a pharm exam question solved before you finish reading it.

Here are the endings I’d learn first, grouped the way they show up on the floor.

Heart and blood pressure

• -pril (lisinopril, enalapril): ACE inhibitors. Lower BP, protect the kidneys in diabetes. Watch for a dry cough, high potassium, and angioedema.
• -sartan (losartan, valsartan): ARBs. Same job as ACE inhibitors, without the cough. Still watch potassium.
• -olol (metoprolol, carvedilol): beta blockers. Slow the heart rate and lower BP. Check apical pulse and BP first.
• -dipine (amlodipine, nifedipine): calcium channel blockers. Relax blood vessels. Watch for low BP and ankle swelling.
• -statin (atorvastatin, simvastatin): lower cholesterol. Teach them to report unexplained muscle pain.

Clotting

• -xaban (apixaban, rivaroxaban): factor Xa inhibitors, a type of DOAC. Bleeding precautions, no routine INR.
• -parin (heparin, enoxaparin): anticoagulants. Know your aPTT for heparin and your platelet count for both.
• -plase (alteplase): thrombolytics. Clot busters. Strict bleeding precautions, strict timing.

Stomach, lungs and hormones

• -prazole (pantoprazole, omeprazole): proton pump inhibitors. Reduce stomach acid. Long-term use is linked to low magnesium and C. diff.
• -tidine (famotidine): H2 blockers. Also reduce acid, but less strongly.
• -terol (albuterol, salmeterol): beta-2 agonists. Open the airways. Expect a faster heart rate and some shakiness.
• -sone / -olone (prednisone, methylprednisolone): corticosteroids. Watch blood sugar, infection risk, and never stop long-term use suddenly.
• -gliflozin (empagliflozin): SGLT2 inhibitors. The patient will pee out sugar, so watch for UTIs and dehydration.
• -glutide (semaglutide, liraglutide): GLP-1 agonists. Nausea is common. Report severe belly pain.

Brain, pain and infection

• -pam / -lam (lorazepam, midazolam): benzodiazepines. Sedation and breathing. The reversal agent is flumazenil.
• -triptan (sumatriptan): migraine meds. Not for patients with heart disease.
• -cillin (amoxicillin, piperacillin): penicillins. Ask about allergies every single time.
• -mycin / -micin (gentamicin, vancomycin): watch the kidneys and hearing on the aminoglycosides and vanc. Know your trough timing.
• -floxacin (ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin): fluoroquinolones. Tendon rupture risk, especially in older adults.

How to actually study these

Don’t make 34 flashcards with one ending each. Group them by body system, like above, and for each ending learn three things: what it does, the one big side effect, and what you check before you give it. Then when an exam throws a drug you’ve never heard of at you, look at the last few letters first. You’ll be surprised how often that’s the whole question.

Study aid only. Always follow your program, your facility’s policies, and a current drug reference.