drug recommendation guide

Drug Recognition Guide.

This guide is intended for information purposes only and not as an aid to unsupervised drug administration by nursing students [MFCurrivan/WirralRenalUnit/2011].

1

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 each and every drug in each and every drug category. Remember that there will always be exceptions to the rule. Nevertheless, the guide will be very useful while you are getting to know your drugs more thoroughly.

The drug names used in this guide refer to the drugs generic name as listed on the prescription sheet (and not to the drugs brand name). The colour coding used in this guide is for ease of recognition purposes only and has no clinical significance. The guide lists more than 130 drugs subdivided into 17 different categories.

One relatively easy way that can be used to help identify what group a particular drug belongs to is to look at the letters at the beginning (the prefix) or, more commonly, at the end (the suffix) of a generic drugs name. For example

ACE Inhibitors (drugs used to treat hypertension, heart failure, diabetic nephropathy or to reduce the likelihood of myocardial infarction). ACE (angiotensin-converting enzyme) inhibitors can be recognised by names that end with the letters pril: -

Captopril

Cilazapril

Enalapril

Fosinopril

Lisinopril

Moexipril

Perindopril

Quinapril

Ramipril

Trandolapril

Alpha-blockers (drugs used to treat hypertension or urinary obstruction due to benign prostatic hyperplasia). Most (but not all) alpha-blockers have names ending in osin: -

Alfuzosin

Doxazosin

Prazosin

Tamsulosin

Terazosin

Note three exceptions: three alpha-blockers that do not end in osin: -

Indoramin

Phenoxybenzamine

Phentolamine



2

Angiotensin-II Receptor Antagonists (drugs used to treat hypertension, heart failure or diabetic nephropathy) end with sartan: -

Candesartan

Irbesartan

Losartan

Telmisartan

Valsartan

Antibiotics (drugs used to treat bacterial infections: with different kinds of antibiotic used to treat particular kinds of bacteria).

Many antibiotics (including most antibiotics of the aminoglycoside, macrolide and glycopeptide class) have names ending in cin. More specifically: antibiotics of the quinolone class end with floxacin; penicillins can be identified by the suffix cillin; antibiotics of the cephalosporin class have names beginning with cef; carbapenem antibiotics end with penem; tetracycline antibiotics end with cycline and rifamycin antibiotics have names beginning with rif. For example: -

Amikacin

Amoxicillin

Ampicillin

Cefalexin

Ceftazidime

Ceftriaxone

Ciprofloxacin

Clarithromycin

Doripenem

Doxycycline

Erythromycin

Flucloxacillin

Gentamicin

Imipenem (given with the enzyme inhibitor cilastatin).

Levofloxacin

Lymecycline

Meropenem

Penicillin

Rifabutin

Rifampicin

Tigecycline

Vancomycin

Note a few exceptions: despite ending in cin do not mistake acemetacin and indometacin (NSAIDs), darifenacin and solifenacin (antimuscarinic drugs) or oxytocin (a drug used in obstetrics) for antibiotics.



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Benzodiazepines (sedatives given to treat insomnia, reduce anxiety or to prevent or treat seizures). Most benzodiazepines have names ending with either azepam or azolam: -

Alprazolam

Clonazepam

Diazepam

Flurazepam

Loprazolam

Lorazepam

Lormetazepam

Midazolam

Nitrazepam

Oxazepam

Temazepam

Note an important benzodiazepine with a different suffix: -

Chlordiazepoxide (a benzodiazepine often used to help manage the symptoms of alcohol withdrawal).

Beta-blockers (drugs used to treat conditions such as hypertension, angina, heart failure or cardiac arrhythmia) end with lol or olol: -

Atenolol

Bisoprolol

Esmolol

Metoprolol

Nebivolol

Propranolol

Sotalol

Beta-blockers ending in lol should not to be mistaken for drugs that end with amol. A drug name ending in amol is often an indication that it

contains paracetamol as a constituent part (see paracetamols, page 5).

Bisphosphonates (drugs used to treat osteoporosis or hypercalcaemia: abnormally high levels of calcium in the blood). The drug inhibits bone re-absorption and so helps preserve bone density and prevent the release of excess calcium into the bloodstream. Bisphosphonates have names that end with dronate or dronic acid: -

Alendronic acid

Clodronate

Pamidronate

Risedronate

Zoledronic acid



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Class II Calcium Channel Blockers (drugs used to treat hypertension or angina) have names ending in dipine: -

Amlodipine

Felodipine

Isradipine

Lacidipine

Nicardipine

Nifedipine

Corticosteroids (drugs given to reduce inflammation or to treat allergic, asthmatic or rheumatic disorders). Most corticosteroids have names ending in sone, solone, olone or sonide: -

Beclometasone

Betamethasone

Budesonide

Ciclesonide

Dexamethasone

Diflucortolone

Fludrocortisone

Flumetasone

Fluticasone

Hydrocortisone

Methylprednisolone

Mometasone

Prednisolone

5HT3 Antagonists (antiemetics used to treat severe nausea and vomiting) end with setron: -

Dolasetron

Granisetron

Ondansetron

Palonosetron

H2 Blockers (drugs used to treat oesophageal reflux, dyspepsia and gastric ulcers) end with the suffix tidine: -

Cimetidine

Famotidine

Nizatidine

Ranitidine

Note an exception to the rule: a drug with a name ending in tidine that is

not a H2 blocker: azacitidine (a chemotherapy drug).



5

Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) (anti-inflammatory painkillers that work by reducing prostaglandin levels). Many NSAIDs are derived from acetic acid, fenamic acid or propionic acid and so tend to have names that end with ac, fenac or profen: -

Aceclofenac

Dexibuprofen

Dexketoprofen

Diclofenac

Etodolac

Fenbufen

Fenoprofen

Flurbiprofen

Ibuprofen

Ketoprofen

Ketorolac

Paracetamol (a painkiller that also has an antipyretic effect). Paracetamol-containing compounds end with amol. The prefix co- at the beginning of drug name is an indication that it is a mixture or compound of two different drugs combined. For example: -

Co-codamol = (codeine & paracetamol).

Co-dydramol = (dihydrocodeine & paracetamol).

Note an exception to the rule: salbutamol (a beta2 agonist bronchodilator used to relieve breathlessness, which - despite ending in amol - should not

be mistaken for a paracetamol-containing compound).

Phenothiazines (antipsychotic drugs developed in the 1950s to treat schizophrenia but some of which are now also used as antiemetics: drugs to treat nausea and vomiting) end with either promazine or perazine: -

Chlorpromazine

Levomepromazine

Prochlorperazine

Trifluoperazine

Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPIs) (drugs used to prevent or treat gastric or duodenal ulcers) have names ending in prazole: -

Esomeprazole

Lansoprazole

Omeprazole

Pantoprazole

Rabeprazole

An exception to the rule - a drug ending in prazole that is not a PPI:

aripiprazole (an antipsychotic drug used to treat schizophrenia).



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Statins (hypolipidaemic agents: drugs used to lower abnormally high levels of cholesterol in the blood). Statins end with the suffix vastatin: -

Atorvastatin

Fluvastatin

Pravastatin

Rosuvastatin

Simvastatin

Despite having names ending in statin (although not vastatin) do not

mistake the following drugs for cholesterol-lowering agents: nystatin (an antifungal drug), pentostatin (an anticancer drug) and cilastatin (an enzyme inhibitor given with the antibiotic imipenem, see page 2).

Sulphonylureas (drugs given to help treat type II diabetes). Most sulphonylureas can be recognised by names that begin with the prefix gli: -

Glibenclamide

Gliclazide

Glimepiride

Glipizide

Tolbutamide

Summary of Drug Prefixes and Suffixes.

ACE inhibitors end with pril Alpha-blockers (most) end with osin Antibiotics (many) end with cin Antibiotics (carbapenems) end with penem Antibiotics (cephalosporins) begin with cef Antibiotics (penicillins) end with cillin Antibiotics (quinolones) end with floxacin Antibiotics (rifamycins) begin with rif Antibiotics (tetracyclines) end with cycline Angiotensin-II receptor antagonists end with sartan Benzodiazepines end with azepam or azolam Beta-blockers end with olol or lol Bisphosphonates end with dronate or dronic acid Class II calcium channel blockers end with dipine Corticosteroids end with sone, solone, olone or sonide 5HT3 antagonists end with setron H2 blockers end with tidine NSAIDs (most) end with ac, fenac or profen Paracetamol compounds end with amol Phenothiazines end with promazine or perazine Proton pump inhibitors end with prazole Statins end with vastatin Sulphonylureas begin with gli

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