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 youre
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 - 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 drugs 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 doesnt 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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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 isnt 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 Crohns 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 dont end in cin or
cillin) include Ceftazidime, Ceftriaxone, Cephalexin, Co-trimoxazole,
Metronidazole, Imipenem, Meropenem and Trimethoprim.

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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 dont 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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