300 Nursing Pharmacology Flashcards by Drug Class Deck
If you can name the class, the nursing priorities should come with it.
300 cards
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| Front | Back |
|---|---|
| ACE inhibitors — what is it? | Block formation of angiotensin II. This lowers vasoconstriction and aldosterone, reducing blood pressure and cardiac workload. Dry cough, angioedema, hyperkalemia, and rising creatinine. Report facial swelling at once. |
| Loop diuretics — what is it? | Block sodium and chloride reabsorption in the loop of Henle. Produce strong diuresis and reduce edema. Dehydration, hypotension, hypokalemia, and ototoxicity. Low potassium can increase digoxin toxicity risk. |
| Class I antiarrhythmics — what is it? | Block fast sodium channels to slow impulse conduction in cardiac tissue. QRS widening, reduced contractility, and proarrhythmia. |
| Heparins — what is it? | Enhance antithrombin activity to inhibit clotting factors. Used for rapid anticoagulation. Bleeding and heparin-induced thrombocytopenia. Avoid unnecessary IM injections and other bleeding risks. |
| Statins — what is it? | Inhibit hepatic cholesterol synthesis and increase LDL receptor activity. Lower LDL and cardiovascular risk. Myopathy, rhabdomyolysis, and liver injury. Some interacting drugs raise toxicity risk. |
| Cardiac glycosides — what is it? | Increase contractility and slow AV conduction. Can improve symptoms in heart failure and control some atrial rhythms. Digoxin toxicity, bradycardia, AV block, and arrhythmias. Low potassium increases risk. |
| Alpha-1 blockers — what is it? | Block peripheral alpha-1 receptors to relax arterioles and veins. They can also improve urinary outflow in BPH. First-dose syncope, dizziness, and additive hypotension with PDE-5 inhibitors or alcohol. |
| Osmotic diuretics — what is it? | Filtered osmoles that pull water into the renal tubule, increasing urine output and lowering intracranial or intraocular pressure. Pulmonary edema, dehydration, and worsening heart failure. |
| Rate control — what is it? | Slowing the ventricular response in tachyarrhythmias without necessarily restoring sinus rhythm. Bradycardia, hypotension, AV block, and worsening heart failure. |
| Glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors — what is it? | IV antiplatelet drugs that block the final common pathway of platelet aggregation. Major bleeding and thrombocytopenia. |
| PCSK9 inhibitors — what is it? | Monoclonal antibodies that prevent LDL receptor breakdown, greatly increasing LDL clearance. Injection-site reactions, hypersensitivity, and cost-related nonadherence. |
| If-channel inhibitors — what is it? | Slow the sinus node by blocking the funny current, reducing heart rate without lowering contractility. Bradycardia, atrial fibrillation, and luminous visual phenomena. |
| Hydantoins — what is it? | Sodium channel blocking anticonvulsants used for focal and tonic-clonic seizures. Nystagmus, ataxia, gingival overgrowth, rash, liver injury, and severe tissue damage with extravasation. |
| Carbapenems — what is it? | Broad-spectrum beta-lactam antibiotics that block bacterial cell wall synthesis and resist many beta-lactamases. Seizures can occur with high exposure or renal dysfunction. Also watch for C. difficile diarrhea. |
| Recombinant protein vaccines — what is it? | Vaccines made from purified antigens produced by recombinant technology. They contain no live organism. Severe allergy to a component changes the plan. Local soreness is common. |
| mTOR inhibitors — what is it? | Immunosuppressants that inhibit mTOR and reduce lymphocyte response to IL-2 signaling. Mouth ulcers, hyperlipidemia, proteinuria, and delayed wound healing can change therapy. |
| Thyroid hormone replacement — what is it? | Synthetic thyroid hormone used to replace deficiency in hypothyroidism. Overreplacement can cause palpitations, tremor and bone loss. Iron and calcium reduce absorption. |
| Glucocorticoids — what is it? | Cortisol-like steroids that suppress inflammation and immune activity. Hyperglycaemia, mood change, infection masking, GI irritation and bone loss with longer use. |
| Proton pump inhibitors — what is it? | Block the gastric proton pump, producing strong acid suppression. C difficile diarrhoea, low magnesium and reduced absorption of some medicines. |
| Intermediate-acting insulin — what is it? | Basal insulin with a slower onset than mealtime insulin and a clear peak that can cover about half a day. Midday or nocturnal hypoglycaemia, especially if meals are missed or activity increases. |
| Inhaled corticosteroids — what is it? | Anti-inflammatory steroids delivered to the airways for controller therapy, not quick symptom relief. Oral candidiasis and dysphonia. Higher exposure can add systemic steroid effects. |
| Helicobacter pylori eradication — what is it? | Combination therapy using acid suppression plus antibiotics to clear H. pylori and reduce ulcer recurrence. Diarrhoea, candidiasis, and treatment failure if therapy is not completed. |
| -terol — what is it? | Often marks beta2 agonist bronchodilators that relax bronchial smooth muscle. Tremor, palpitations, tachycardia, or paradoxical bronchospasm. Low potassium can raise dysrhythmia risk. |
| First-generation antihistamines — what is it? | Older H1 blockers that reduce allergy symptoms and readily enter the brain. Confusion, dry mouth, urinary retention, or blurred vision. Use caution in glaucoma and BPH. |
| ARBs — what is it? | Block angiotensin II receptors. They lower pressure and can protect the kidney with less cough than ACE inhibitors. Hyperkalemia, dizziness, or angioedema. Dual RAAS blockade raises kidney injury risk. |
| Spacer use — what is it? | A chamber attached to a metered-dose inhaler that improves lung delivery and reduces drug left in the mouth. Poor technique can reduce effect and increase local steroid problems such as thrush. |
| H1 receptor blockade — what is it? | Prevents histamine from causing itching, sneezing, runny nose, and hives. Dry mouth, sedation, or blurred vision depending on the agent. |
| LABA monotherapy in asthma — what is it? | Using a long-acting beta2 agonist alone in asthma can relieve symptoms while airway inflammation remains untreated. Worsening asthma control masked by temporary relief. Tremor and palpitations can occur. |
| Intranasal antihistamines — what is it? | Local H1 blockers used for allergic rhinitis. They reduce sneezing, itching, and runny nose through nasal action. Bitter taste, nose irritation, epistaxis, and possible sedation. |
| Balanced crystalloids — what is it? | Crystalloid fluids whose electrolyte mix is closer to plasma than normal saline. 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, asks what it is, and answers with the meaning and the thing to 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 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 does not use your AI allowance, 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.