Nursing Pharmacology Drug Classes in 3 Minutes
Learn to spot a drug class from its name and remember the one nursing check that goes with it — then test yourself with ten practice questions.
Transcript
Pharmacology feels overwhelming because there are thousands of drug names. But here is the good news: many generic names carry a suffix that tells you the drug class. Learn the suffix, and you can reason about a drug you have never seen before. Let me walk you through the most useful ones, each with a nursing check.
Drugs ending in olol, like metoprolol and atenolol, are beta blockers. They slow the heart rate and lower blood pressure. Before giving one, check the apical pulse for a full minute and check the blood pressure. If the heart rate is below sixty, hold the dose and notify the provider. The same apical pulse check applies to digoxin, which is not a beta blocker but also slows the heart.
Drugs ending in pril, like lisinopril and enalapril, are ACE inhibitors. They lower blood pressure. The classic side effect is a dry, persistent cough. The dangerous one is angioedema, which is swelling of the face, lips, and tongue that can block the airway. That is an emergency.
Drugs ending in sartan, like losartan and valsartan, are angiotensin receptor blockers, or ARBs. They work on the same system as ACE inhibitors, and a patient who cannot tolerate the ACE inhibitor cough is often switched to one.
Drugs ending in statin, like atorvastatin and simvastatin, lower cholesterol. Teach the patient to report unexplained muscle pain or weakness, because rarely statins can cause serious muscle breakdown. Liver function is also monitored.
Drugs ending in prazole, like omeprazole and pantoprazole, are proton pump inhibitors. They reduce stomach acid and treat reflux and ulcers, and they work best taken before a meal.
Drugs ending in azepam, like lorazepam and diazepam, are benzodiazepines. They treat anxiety and seizures but cause sedation and can depress breathing. Monitor the respiratory rate and level of consciousness, keep fall precautions in place, and remember the reversal agent is flumazenil.
Here is a worked example. You are about to give carvedilol and you are not sure what it is. It ends in lol, so it behaves like a beta blocker. You check the apical pulse, it reads fifty two, and you hold the dose and call the provider.
Recap: olol means beta blocker, check the pulse. Pril means ACE inhibitor, watch for cough and angioedema. Sartan means ARB, statin means cholesterol and muscle pain, prazole means acid reduction, and azepam means sedation and breathing checks.
Test yourself on Nursing
10 questions, easy to hard. No account needed to try it.
A drug ending in olol, such as metoprolol, belongs to which class?
Omeprazole and pantoprazole belong to which drug class?
Which suffix identifies a statin?
What should the nurse check before giving a beta blocker?
A patient taking lisinopril reports a dry, persistent cough. What is the most likely explanation?
Losartan belongs to which drug class?
A patient on an ACE inhibitor develops swelling of the lips and tongue. What is the priority concern?
Before giving digoxin, the nurse finds an apical pulse of 52. What is the best action?
A patient taking atorvastatin reports unexplained muscle pain. What should the nurse do?
A patient received lorazepam. Which assessment is the priority?