Medications · 3 min read
Medications · Drug Names, Classes, and Pharmacology Terms · Cardiovascular Medications
Medications make up the largest share of the exam. Pharmacy technicians must recognize generic and brand names, place each drug in its class, know what it treats and what it can cause, spot duplications and interactions, and handle, store, and label products so they stay safe and effective. Classes are organized here by body system, with the stems (suffixes) that identify them.
Every drug has a chemical name, a generic (nonproprietary) name shared by all manufacturers, and one or more brand (proprietary) names owned by a company. Medications are classified by therapeutic use, pharmacological action, and chemical structure. Knowing the class helps a technician recognize duplications, interactions, and appropriate uses, and many classes share a stem that identifies them at a glance.
| Stem | Class | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| -pril | ACEinhibitors | Lisinopril enalapril ramipril benazepril , , , |
| -sartan | AngiotensinIIreceptorblockers(ARBs) | Losartan valsartan irbesartan olmesartan , , , |
| -olol | Betablockers | Metoprolol atenolol carvedilol propranolol , , , |
| -dipine | Dihydropyridinecalciumchannelblockers | Amlodipine nifedipine , |
| -statin | HMG-CoAreductaseinhibitors(statins) | Atorvastatin rosuvastatin simvastatin pravastatin , , , |
| -prazole | Protonpumpinhibitors | Omeprazole esomeprazole pantoprazole lansoprazole , , , |
| -pam / -lam | Benzodiazepines | Diazepam lorazepam clonazepam alprazolam , , , |
| -gliflozin | SGLT2inhibitors | Empagliflozin dapagliflozin canagliflozin , , |
| -gliptin | DPP-4inhibitors | Sitagliptin saxagliptin linagliptin , , |
| -glutide | GLP-1receptoragonists | Liraglutide semaglutide dulaglutide , , |
| -floxacin | Fluoroquinolones | Ciprofloxacin levofloxacin moxifloxacin , , |
| -cycline | Tetracyclines | Doxycycline minocycline tetracycline , , |
| -dronate | Bisphosphonates | Alendronate risedronate ibandronate , , |
| -mab | Monoclonalantibodies | Adalimumab infliximab , |
The exam also expects fluency with the vocabulary of how drugs behave in the body. Pharmacokinetics describes what the body does to the drug, summarized as ADME; pharmacodynamics describes what the drug does to the body.
Absorption,Distribution,Metabolism,Excretion(Adme)
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➜
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Drug enters the bloodstream
Carried to tissues
Broken down, mainly by the liver
Removed, mainly by the kidneys
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Bioavailability | Thefractionofanadministereddosethatreachessystemiccirculationunchanged |
| Bioequivalence | Twodrugproductshavethesamerateandextentofabsorption |
| Half -life | Thetimerequiredfortheplasmadrugconcentrationtodecreaseby50% |
| Steadystate | Drug intake equals drug elimination; reached after about 5 half -lives |
| Therapeuticindex | Theratiobetweenthetoxicdoseandthetherapeuticdose;anarrowindexmeansasmallmarginof |
| safety | |
| Loadingdose | Aninitialhigherdosegiventoreachatherapeuticconcentrationquickly |
| Maintenancedose | Theregulardosegiventokeeptheconcentrationinthetherapeuticrange |
| Peak/trough | Themaximumplasmalevelafteradose/theminimumleveljustbeforethenextdose |
| First-pass metabolism | Metabolismintheliverofanoraldrugbeforeitreachessystemiccirculation |
| Enteral/parenteral | Administrationthroughthegastrointestinaltract/byinjection bypassingtheGItract , |
| Prophylaxis | Useofadrugtopreventdisease |
Cardiovascular drugs treat hypertension, heart failure, angina, arrhythmias, high cholesterol, and clotting disorders. They are among the most frequently dispensed medications, and several of them (warfarin, digoxin, potassium-altering drugs) require close attention to interactions and monitoring.
| Class | Examples(Brand) | Uses | KeySideEffectsandNotes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ACEinhibitors | Lisinopril(Zestril Prinivil) enalapril , , | Hypertension heart , | Drycough hyperkalemia angioedema; , , | |
| (Vasotec) ramipril(Altace) benazepril , , | failure | contraindicatedinpregnancy | ||
| (Lotensin) | ||||
| ARBs | Losartan(Cozaar) valsartan(Diovan) , , | Hypertension heart , | Rarelycausecough;contraindicatedin | |
| irbesartan(Avapro) olmesartan , | failure | pregnancy | ||
| (Benicar) | ||||
| Betablockers | Metoprolol (Lopressor Toprol -XL) , , | Hypertension heart , | Bradycardia fatigue bronchospasm;mustnot , , | |
| atenolol(Tenormin) carvedilol , | failure arrhythmias , , | bestoppedabruptly | ||
| (Coreg) propranolol , | angina | |||
| Calciumchannel | Dihydropyridines:amlodipine | Hypertension , | Dihydropyridinescauseperipheraledema; | |
| blockers | (Norvasc) nifedipine(ProcardiaXL); , | angina | verapamilanddiltiazemcancause | |
| non-dihydropyridines: verapamil , | bradycardiaandconstipation | |||
| Thiazidediuretics Loopdiuretics | diltiazem(Cardizem) Hydrochlorothiazide(HCTZ) , chlorthalidone Furosemide(Lasix) bumetanide , , torsemide | Hypertension , edema Edema heartfailure , | 1 Hypokalemia hyperuricemia hyperglycemia , , Morepotentthanthiazides;greaterriskof electrolyteloss;ototoxicity |
Cardiovasculardrugclasses(Continued)
| Class | Examples(Brand) | Uses | KeySideEffectsandNotes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Potassium-sparing | Spironolactone(Aldactone) , | Hypertension heart , | Hyperkalemia;spironolactonecancause |
| diuretics | eplerenone triamterene amiloride , , | failure | gynecomastia |
| Statins | Atorvastatin(Lipitor) rosuvastatin , | Highcholesterol | Myopathy elevatedliverenzymes;simvastatin , |
| (Crestor) simvastatin(Zocor) , , | andlovastatinaretakenintheevening | ||
| pravastatin | |||
| Anticoagulants | Warfarin heparin enoxaparin , , | Preventionand | Bleeding WarfarinneedsINRmonitoring . |
| (Lovenox) rivaroxaban(Xarelto) , , | treatmentofclots | (target usually 2–3); vitamin K is its antidote . | |
| apixaban(Eliquis) dabigatran , | Directoralanticoagulants(DOACs)needno | ||
| (Pradaxa) | routinemonitoringandhavefewerinteractions | ||
| Antiplatelets | Aspirin clopidogrel(Plavix) ticagrelor , , | Preventionof | Bleedingrisk |
| (Brilinta) prasugrel(Effient) , | arterialclots | ||
| Nitrates | Nitroglycerin(Nitrostat) isosorbide , | Angina | Headache hypotension Sublingual , . |
| mononitrateanddinitrate | nitroglycerinstaysinitsoriginalglass | ||
| container tightlyclosed protectedfromlight , , | |||
| andmoisture | |||
| Cardiacglycoside | Digoxin(Lanoxin) | Heartfailure atrial , | Narrowtherapeuticindex;toxicitycauses |
| fibrillation | nausea visualdisturbances andarrhythmias; , , | ||
| hypokalemiaincreasestoxicity |
Two drugs from the same line of this table (for example, lisinopril and enalapril) are a therapeutic duplication. A drug that raises potassium (ACE inhibitor, ARB, potassium-sparing diuretic) combined with a potassium supplement is a classic hyperkalemia interaction.
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