Drug Recognition Guide.
As a student nurse it can be difficult getting to know particular drugs and
distinguishing between the various drug categories that you may be asked
(under supervision) to administer. This is a quick reference guide that can
make it easier to recognise and remember drug names.
NOTE: this is for general guidance only – it is not intended as a ‘‘fool proof’’
way to identify all drug categories. Remember that there will always be
exceptions to the rule. Nevertheless, this guide may be helpful while you’re
getting to know your drugs more thoroughly.
The drug names used in this guide refer to the drug’s generic name as listed on
the prescription sheet (and not to the drug’s brand name - usually highlighted in
bold lettering on the drug box itself). The colour coding used in this guide is for
ease of recognition purposes only and has no clinical significance. The guide lists
more than 100 different drugs subdivided into 16 major pharmacological groups.
One relatively simple way that can be used to help identify what category a
particular drug belongs to is to look at the letters at the end of a drug’s name –
For example…
1) ACE Inhibitors
(anti-hypertensive drugs used to lower abnormally
elevated blood pressure and to make the heart beat more efficiently).
ACE inhibitors end with the letters ‘‘pril’’ –
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Captopril
Enalapril
Fosinopril
Lisinopril
Perindopril
Quinapril
Ramipril
Trandolapril
2) Alpha-blockers
(drugs used to lower elevated blood pressure).
Alpha-blockers usually end with the letters ‘‘zosin’’ –
•
•
•
Doxazosin
Prazosin
Terazosin
An exception to the rule: –
• Indoramin (an alpha-blocker that doesn’t end in ‘‘zosin’’).
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Drug Recognition Guide.
3) Angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) (drugs used to
lower blood pressure) end with the letters ‘‘sartan’’ –
•
•
•
•
•
Candesartan
Irbesartan
Losartan
Telmisartan
Valsartan
4) Class II calcium antagonists
(drugs used to lower blood
pressure and to treat angina) end with ‘‘ipine’’ –
•
•
•
•
•
•
Amlodipine
Felodipine
Isradipine
Lacidipine
Nicardipine
Nifedipine
Note a number of drugs with superficially similar endings: Carbamazepine (an anti-convulsant drug used to treat epilepsy) and
Olanzapine (an anti-psychotic used to treat schizophrenia).
5) Beta-blockers
(drugs used to lower blood pressure and to treat
conditions such as angina and anxiety) usually end with ‘‘lol’’ or ‘‘olol’’ –
•
•
•
•
•
Atenolol
Bisoprolol
Metoprolol
Propranolol
Sotalol
Not to be mistaken for drugs that end in ‘‘mol’’. Many drugs that end with
‘‘mol’’ contain Paracetamol as a constituent part.
6) Paracetamol
(painkillers that also have an anti-pyretic effect). The
prefix ‘‘co-’’ at the beginning of some drug names is an indication that
they are a combination of two different drugs. For example: •
•
•
Co-codamol
Co-dydramol
Domperamol
=
=
=
(Codeine & Paracetamol).
(Dihydrocodeine & Paracetamol).
(Domperidone & Paracetamol).
An exception to the rule: • Salbutamol (a bronchodilator used to relieve breathlessness
which, despite ending in ‘‘mol’’, does not contain Paracetamol).
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Drug Recognition Guide.
7) Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
or NSAIDs
(anti-inflammatory painkillers that work by reducing prostaglandin levels)
often (but not always) either end with or contain the letters ‘‘fen’’ –
•
•
•
•
•
•
Aceclofenac
Diclofenac
Fenoprofen
Flurbiprofen
Ibuprofen
Ketoprofen
An important exception to the rule: • Tamoxifen (a hormone-based drug used in the treatment of
breast cancer) ends in ‘‘fen’’ but isn’t an NSAID).
Two drug groups both of which have an anti-emetic (anti-sickness) effect and
both of which end in ‘‘zine’’ are -
8) Phenothiazines
(anti-psychotic drugs developed in the 1950s to
treat schizophrenia but which are now also used to treat nausea and
vomiting) often end with the suffix ‘‘zine’’ –
•
•
•
Levomepromazine
Prochlorperazine
Trifluoperazine
(brand name ‘‘Stelazine’’).
9) Anti-histamines
(drugs used to treat allergic reactions that can
also be used as anti-emetics) commonly end in ‘‘zine’’ –
•
•
•
Cinnarizine
Cyclizine
Promethazine
Note two important ‘‘zine’’ ending drugs that are not anti-emetics –
•
•
Hydralazine (a vasodilator used to lower blood pressure).
Mesalazine (a salicylate anti-inflammatory drug used in the
treatment of ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease).
10) 5HT3 antagonits (drugs used to treat severe nausea and vomiting)
end in ‘‘setron’’ –
•
•
•
Granisetron
Ondansetron
Tropisetron
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Drug Recognition Guide.
11) H2 blockers
(drugs used to treat oesophageal reflux, dyspepsia
and gastric ulcers) end with the suffix ‘‘idine’’ –
•
•
•
•
Cimetidine
Famotidine
Nizatidine
Ranitidine
Exceptions to the rule: –
Clonidine and Moxonidine (both atypical anti-hypertensive drugs) and
Chlorhexidine (an anti-septic solution).
12) Proton pump inhibitors
or PPIs (drugs used in the treatment
of or prevention of gastric ulcers) end in ‘‘prazole’’ –
•
•
•
•
Lansoprazole
Omeprazole
Pantoprazole
Rabeprazole
Not to be confused with the similar sounding antibiotics Co-trimoxazole
and Metronidazole.
13) Antibiotics
(drugs used to treat bacterial infections). Many
antibiotics tend to end with ‘‘cillin’’ or ‘‘cin’’ –
•
•
•
•
Amoxycillin
Ampicillin
Flucloxacillin
Penicillin
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Amikacin
Azithromycin
Clarithromycin
Erythromycin
Gentamicin
Levofloxacin
Vancomycin
Not to be confused with Acemetacin or Indomethacin (atypical NSAID
drugs used to treat rheumatoid arthritis).
Antibiotics that are exceptions to the rule (and that don’t end in ‘‘cin’’ or
‘‘cillin’’) include Ceftazidime, Ceftriaxone, Cephalexin, Co-trimoxazole,
Metronidazole, Imipenem, Meropenem and Trimethoprim.
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Drug Recognition Guide.
14) Benzodiazepines.
(Benzodiazepines are drugs that have both
anxiolytic and hypnotic effects. Anxiolytics are drugs given to
reduce anxiety. Hypnotics are sedatives sometimes given to treat
insomnia). Most benzodiazepines end with ‘‘zepam’’ –
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Clonazepam
Diazepam
Flurazepam
Lorazepam
Lormetazepam
Nitrazepam
Oxazepam
Temazepam
Note two important benzodiazepines that don’t end with ‘‘zepam’’ –
• Chlordiazepoxide (brand name: ‘‘Librium’’. A benzodiazepine
often used to treat the symptoms of alcohol withdrawal).
• Midazolam (a benzodiazepine sedative often added to syringe
driver infusions for patients facing terminal illness).
15) Bisphosphonates
(drugs used to treat osteoporosis and to lower
elevated serum calcium levels. The drug inhibits bone re-absorption and
so both preserves bone density and prevents the release of excess
calcium into the bloodstream). Bisphosphonates end with ‘‘dronate’’ –
•
•
•
•
•
•
Alendronate
Clodronate
Etidronate
Pamidronate
Risidronate
Zolendronate
16) Hypolipidaemic agents
or Statins (drugs given lower elevated
serum cholesterol levels). Most statins end with ‘‘vastatin’’ –
•
•
•
•
•
Atorvastatin
Fluvastatin
Pravastatin
Rosuvastatin
Simvastatin
An exception to the rule: –
•
Nystatin (an anti-fungal agent used to treat candidiasis).
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Drug Recognition Guide.
Summary
ACE inhibitors
Alpha-blockers
Antibiotics
ARBs
Benzodiazepines
Beta-blockers
Bisphosphonates
Calcium antagonists
H2 blockers
NSAIDs
Paracetamols
PPIs
Statins
5HT3 antagonits
end with…
end with…
end with…
end with…
end with…
end with…
end with…
end with…
end with…
end with…
end with…
end with…
end with…
end with…
pril
zosin
cin or cillin
sartan
zepam
olol
dronate
ipine
idine
fen
mol
prazole
vastatin
setron
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