300 Nursing Pharmacology Flashcards by Drug Class Deck
If you can name the class, the nursing priorities should come with it.
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| Front | Back |
|---|---|
| ACE inhibitors | Meaning: Block formation of angiotensin II. This lowers vasoconstriction and aldosterone, reducing blood pressure and cardiac workload. Nursing focus: Assess blood pressure, renal status, and potassium. Teach slow position changes and to avoid potassium salt substitutes. Watch for: Dry cough, angioedema, hyperkalemia, and rising creatinine. Report facial swelling at once. |
| Loop diuretics | Meaning: Block sodium and chloride reabsorption in the loop of Henle. Produce strong diuresis and reduce edema. Nursing focus: Monitor fluid status, daily weight, blood pressure, kidney function, and potassium. Schedule earlier in the day when possible. Watch for: Dehydration, hypotension, hypokalemia, and ototoxicity. Low potassium can increase digoxin toxicity risk. |
| Class I antiarrhythmics | Meaning: Block fast sodium channels to slow impulse conduction in cardiac tissue. Nursing focus: Monitor ECG, rhythm, blood pressure, and signs of new or worsening arrhythmia. Watch for: QRS widening, reduced contractility, and proarrhythmia. |
| Heparins | Meaning: Enhance antithrombin activity to inhibit clotting factors. Used for rapid anticoagulation. Nursing focus: Monitor for bleeding, bruising, platelets, and signs of spinal or epidural hematoma when neuraxial procedures are involved. Watch for: Bleeding and heparin-induced thrombocytopenia. Avoid unnecessary IM injections and other bleeding risks. |
| Statins | Meaning: Inhibit hepatic cholesterol synthesis and increase LDL receptor activity. Lower LDL and cardiovascular risk. Nursing focus: Monitor for muscle symptoms, liver symptoms, and interaction risk. Reinforce diet changes and adherence. Watch for: Myopathy, rhabdomyolysis, and liver injury. Some interacting drugs raise toxicity risk. |
| Cardiac glycosides | Meaning: Increase contractility and slow AV conduction. Can improve symptoms in heart failure and control some atrial rhythms. Nursing focus: Assess apical pulse, rhythm, renal function, and potassium status. Teach patients to report nausea or vision changes. Watch for: Digoxin toxicity, bradycardia, AV block, and arrhythmias. Low potassium increases risk. |
| Alpha-1 blockers | Meaning: Block peripheral alpha-1 receptors to relax arterioles and veins. They can also improve urinary outflow in BPH. Nursing focus: Check sitting and standing BP. Teach slow position changes and caution with the first doses. Watch for: First-dose syncope, dizziness, and additive hypotension with PDE-5 inhibitors or alcohol. |
| Osmotic diuretics | Meaning: Filtered osmoles that pull water into the renal tubule, increasing urine output and lowering intracranial or intraocular pressure. Nursing focus: Monitor fluid balance, neurologic status, lung sounds, and kidney function. Watch for: Pulmonary edema, dehydration, and worsening heart failure. |
| Rate control | Meaning: Slowing the ventricular response in tachyarrhythmias without necessarily restoring sinus rhythm. Nursing focus: Monitor pulse, BP, symptoms, and ECG conduction. Reassess exercise tolerance and perfusion. Watch for: Bradycardia, hypotension, AV block, and worsening heart failure. |
| Glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors | Meaning: IV antiplatelet drugs that block the final common pathway of platelet aggregation. Nursing focus: Monitor for bleeding, platelet count trends, and oozing at vascular access sites. Watch for: Major bleeding and thrombocytopenia. |
| PCSK9 inhibitors | Meaning: Monoclonal antibodies that prevent LDL receptor breakdown, greatly increasing LDL clearance. Nursing focus: Teach injection technique, storage, adherence to schedule, and follow-up lipid checks. Watch for: Injection-site reactions, hypersensitivity, and cost-related nonadherence. |
| If-channel inhibitors | Meaning: Slow the sinus node by blocking the funny current, reducing heart rate without lowering contractility. Nursing focus: Confirm the patient is in sinus rhythm. Monitor resting pulse, BP, visual symptoms, and symptom burden. Watch for: Bradycardia, atrial fibrillation, and luminous visual phenomena. |
| Hydantoins | Meaning: Sodium channel blocking anticonvulsants used for focal and tonic-clonic seizures. Nursing focus: Monitor gait, speech, gum health, skin, and adherence. Review interacting drugs and pregnancy planning. Watch for: Nystagmus, ataxia, gingival overgrowth, rash, liver injury, and severe tissue damage with extravasation. |
| Carbapenems | Meaning: Broad-spectrum beta-lactam antibiotics that block bacterial cell wall synthesis and resist many beta-lactamases. Nursing focus: Obtain cultures first when possible. Review allergy history. Monitor renal function and clinical response. Watch for: Seizures can occur with high exposure or renal dysfunction. Also watch for C. difficile diarrhea. |
| Recombinant protein vaccines | Meaning: Vaccines made from purified antigens produced by recombinant technology. They contain no live organism. Nursing focus: Teach that multiple doses may be needed. Review allergy history and expected local reactions. Watch for: Severe allergy to a component changes the plan. Local soreness is common. |
| mTOR inhibitors | Meaning: Immunosuppressants that inhibit mTOR and reduce lymphocyte response to IL-2 signaling. Nursing focus: Monitor drug interactions, lipids, edema, and wound healing. Assess for infection. Watch for: Mouth ulcers, hyperlipidemia, proteinuria, and delayed wound healing can change therapy. |
| Thyroid hormone replacement | Meaning: Synthetic thyroid hormone used to replace deficiency in hypothyroidism. Nursing focus: Take consistently apart from food, iron and calcium. Track energy, pulse and symptom change. Watch for: Overreplacement can cause palpitations, tremor and bone loss. Iron and calcium reduce absorption. |
| Glucocorticoids | Meaning: Cortisol-like steroids that suppress inflammation and immune activity. Nursing focus: Monitor infection signs, glucose, mood, weight and blood pressure. Reinforce not stopping suddenly. Watch for: Hyperglycaemia, mood change, infection masking, GI irritation and bone loss with longer use. |
| Proton pump inhibitors | Meaning: Block the gastric proton pump, producing strong acid suppression. Nursing focus: Use before meals when directed. Reassess ongoing need and review ulcer-risk medicines. Watch for: C difficile diarrhoea, low magnesium and reduced absorption of some medicines. |
| Intermediate-acting insulin | Meaning: Basal insulin with a slower onset than mealtime insulin and a clear peak that can cover about half a day. Nursing focus: Check meal timing, injection technique, and glucose patterns around the peak period. Watch for: Midday or nocturnal hypoglycaemia, especially if meals are missed or activity increases. |
| Inhaled corticosteroids | Meaning: Anti-inflammatory steroids delivered to the airways for controller therapy, not quick symptom relief. Nursing focus: Teach regular use, correct inhaler technique, and mouth rinsing after doses. Watch for: Oral candidiasis and dysphonia. Higher exposure can add systemic steroid effects. |
| Helicobacter pylori eradication | Meaning: Combination therapy using acid suppression plus antibiotics to clear H. pylori and reduce ulcer recurrence. Nursing focus: Confirm adherence to the full course and review allergy and prior antibiotic exposure. Watch for: Diarrhoea, candidiasis, and treatment failure if therapy is not completed. |
| -terol | Meaning: Often marks beta2 agonist bronchodilators that relax bronchial smooth muscle. Nursing focus: Assess wheeze and work of breathing. Teach inhaler technique and how often rescue use is needed. Watch for: Tremor, palpitations, tachycardia, or paradoxical bronchospasm. Low potassium can raise dysrhythmia risk. |
| First-generation antihistamines | Meaning: Older H1 blockers that reduce allergy symptoms and readily enter the brain. Nursing focus: Warn about sedation. Use fall precautions and avoid alcohol or other sedatives. Watch for: Confusion, dry mouth, urinary retention, or blurred vision. Use caution in glaucoma and BPH. |
| ARBs | Meaning: Block angiotensin II receptors. They lower pressure and can protect the kidney with less cough than ACE inhibitors. Nursing focus: Monitor blood pressure, kidney function, and potassium. Teach pregnancy avoidance. Watch for: Hyperkalemia, dizziness, or angioedema. Dual RAAS blockade raises kidney injury risk. |
| Spacer use | Meaning: A chamber attached to a metered-dose inhaler that improves lung delivery and reduces drug left in the mouth. Nursing focus: Teach assembly, slow inhalation, and routine cleaning. Recheck technique at visits. Watch for: Poor technique can reduce effect and increase local steroid problems such as thrush. |
| H1 receptor blockade | Meaning: Prevents histamine from causing itching, sneezing, runny nose, and hives. Nursing focus: Match use to allergic symptoms and teach that benefit is best when taken before or during exposure. Watch for: Dry mouth, sedation, or blurred vision depending on the agent. |
| LABA monotherapy in asthma | Meaning: Using a long-acting beta2 agonist alone in asthma can relieve symptoms while airway inflammation remains untreated. Nursing focus: Verify asthma patients receive a paired inhaled corticosteroid. Teach that a LABA is not for sudden symptoms. Watch for: Worsening asthma control masked by temporary relief. Tremor and palpitations can occur. |
| Intranasal antihistamines | Meaning: Local H1 blockers used for allergic rhinitis. They reduce sneezing, itching, and runny nose through nasal action. Nursing focus: Teach correct spray technique and ask about drowsiness. Assess response when oral therapy is not enough. Watch for: Bitter taste, nose irritation, epistaxis, and possible sedation. |
| Balanced crystalloids | Meaning: Crystalloid fluids whose electrolyte mix is closer to plasma than normal saline. Nursing focus: Monitor volume response, urine output, and acid-base status. Verify the solution fits the clinical situation. Watch for: Fluid overload. Some solutions contain potassium or calcium, which can affect selection. |
About this deck
Nursing pharmacology gets messy when names pile up faster than patterns stick. You may recognize a drug on sight, then stall on what the class does, what changes absorption or excretion, or which adverse effects need your attention right away. The hard part is not recognizing the term. It is pulling the right nursing focus and watch-outs back out when you need them. This deck cuts the subject into 300 cards that stay at class and concept level, so knowledge transfers across brand names. The sections are principles (40), cardiovascular (55), neuro-and-psych (50), infection-and-immunity (50), endocrine-and-gi (55), and respiratory-and-renal (50). Each card covers a class, suffix, or concept and uses the same back-of-card fields: Meaning, Nursing focus, and Watch for. A card on Absorption, Fluoroquinolones, or -zolamide trains the same pattern of recall every time. When these cards are on a spaced-repetition schedule, the items you can answer cleanly stop crowding your reviews, and the ones you miss keep coming back until they settle. The deck leaves out doses and treatment instructions on purpose, so your time stays on mechanism, nursing priorities, and adverse-effect patterns that carry from one drug name to the next.
Frequently asked
- How is this deck split across topics?
- The 300 cards are divided into principles (40), cardiovascular (55), neuro-and-psych (50), infection-and-immunity (50), endocrine-and-gi (55), and respiratory-and-renal (50). Inside those sections, the cards focus on drug classes, suffixes, and core concepts rather than isolated brand names.
- What am I expected to recall on each card?
- Each back uses the same fields: Meaning, Nursing focus, and Watch for. That keeps the review pattern steady whether the front says Absorption, Fluoroquinolones, or -zolamide.
- Does this deck cover doses, titration, or full treatment plans?
- No. It stays at class and concept level on purpose, so you can lock in mechanism, nursing priorities, and key risks before layering on protocol details.
- Can I import the whole deck on the free plan?
- Yes. Importing a saved deck runs no new AI generation and spends no AI credits, so the free plan imports all 300 cards. You can study, edit and delete them afterwards.
- Will importing it twice create duplicates?
- No. Cards you already have are skipped and only cards added in a revision come through. Including re-imports after deleting it, one official deck can be imported three times per account.
- Can I use it on the web and in the mobile app?
- Yes. The deck is added to your account rather than to a device, so the same cards and the same progress are there on the web, on iOS and on Android.
- Can I edit the cards after importing?
- Yes. Imported cards are yours: you can edit both sides, delete cards you do not need, change tags, and move cards to another deck.
No official exam questions are reproduced. Every card was written for this deck.The deck is a study aid for exam knowledge. It is not medical advice, and it gives no doses.Editorial reference date 2026-08-30.