How to Easily Remember Drug Classifications (With Mnemonics!)

Pharmacology can feel overwhelming with hundreds of medications to learn, but the secret to mastering it is understanding drug classifications rather than memorizing individual drugs one by one.

The good news? Most drug classes follow patterns, and once you recognize them, it becomes MUCH easier to recall their uses, side effects, and key nursing considerations.

In this guide, you’ll learn:
✅ The most important drug classifications for NCLEX
✅ How to recognize medications by their suffixes
✅ Easy mnemonics to help you memorize them FAST

Let’s dive in! 🚀

Instead of memorizing every single drug, focus on recognizing patterns in drug names. Most medications in the same class:
🔹 Have similar endings (suffixes)
🔹 Work in similar ways
🔹 Have common side effects and precautions

By learning drug classes, you’ll save time and feel more confident in your exams and clinical practice.

Here’s a breakdown of high-yield drug classes you MUST know for NCLEX, along with mnemonics to make them stick!

1️⃣ Beta-Blockers (-lol) → “LOL Your Heart Rate Down”

🔹 Common Drugs: Metoprolol, Atenolol, Propranolol
🔹 Used For: Hypertension, angina, heart failure
🔹 Side Effects: Bradycardia, hypotension, fatigue
🔹 Nursing Tip: Monitor BP & HR, avoid in asthma patients

Mnemonic: Beta-blockers make the heart “chill” and slow down, just like when you laugh out loud (LOL)!

2️⃣ ACE Inhibitors (-pril) → “April Showers Bring Cough & Angioedema”

🔹 Common Drugs: Lisinopril, Enalapril, Captopril
🔹 Used For: Hypertension, heart failure
🔹 Side Effects: Dry cough, hyperkalemia, angioedema
🔹 Nursing Tip: Monitor potassium levels, avoid in pregnancy

Mnemonic: "April (pril) showers bring May flowers", but also bring a cough & angioedema!

3️⃣ ARBs (-sartan) → “Sartan Sisters Lower BP”

🔹 Common Drugs: Losartan, Valsartan
🔹 Used For: Hypertension, heart failure
🔹 Side Effects: Hyperkalemia, hypotension
🔹 Nursing Tip: Used when patients can’t tolerate ACE inhibitors

Mnemonic: The Sartan Sisters lower blood pressure without the annoying ACE inhibitor cough!

4️⃣ Calcium Channel Blockers (-dipine) → “DIP the BP”

🔹 Common Drugs: Amlodipine, Nifedipine
🔹 Used For: Hypertension, angina
🔹 Side Effects: Hypotension, dizziness, peripheral edema
🔹 Nursing Tip: Avoid grapefruit juice, monitor BP

Mnemonic: DIPine drugs DIP the blood pressure!

5️⃣ Loop Diuretics (-mide, -nide) → “Loops Lose Everything”

🔹 Common Drugs: Furosemide, Bumetanide, Torsemide
🔹 Used For: Edema, hypertension
🔹 Side Effects: Hypokalemia, dehydration, ototoxicity
🔹 Nursing Tip: Monitor potassium & kidney function

Mnemonic: Loop diuretics make you LOSE potassium, water, and even hearing!

6️⃣ Statins (-statin) → “Stay Healthy with Statins”

🔹 Common Drugs: Atorvastatin, Simvastatin
🔹 Used For: Lowering cholesterol
🔹 Side Effects: Muscle pain, liver toxicity
🔹 Nursing Tip: Monitor liver function, take at night

Mnemonic: Statins keep your cholesterol in check so you can “stay” healthy!

7️⃣ Opioids (Morphine, Fentanyl, Hydromorphone) → “Morphine = More Pain Relief”

🔹 Used For: Severe pain
🔹 Side Effects: Respiratory depression, constipation, sedation
🔹 Nursing Tip: Monitor RR, use naloxone for overdose

Mnemonic: Morphine = More pain relief, but also More breathing problems!

📝 Quick Cheat Sheet – Common Drug Endings