💊 NCLEX Pharmacology Essentials

ELI5: Pharmacology for Nurses

Think of pharmacology as learning the "personality" of each medication. Just like you need to know if someone is friendly or grumpy, you need to know if a drug is helpful or dangerous in certain situations!

🔑 The Big Categories You MUST Know

Cardiovascular

• Antihypertensives: Lower blood pressure (Beta blockers, ACE inhibitors, Diuretics)
• Anticoagulants: Prevent blood clots (Heparin, Warfarin)
• Antiplatelets: Aspirin, Clopidogrel
• Cardiac glycosides: Digoxin - watch for toxicity!

Pain & Inflammation

• Opioids: Morphine, Oxycodone - watch for respiratory depression!
• NSAIDs: Ibuprofen, Naproxen - watch kidneys and stomach
• Acetaminophen: Tylenol - watch liver! Max 4000mg/day

Antibiotics

• Penicillins: Amoxicillin - watch for allergic reactions
• Macrolides: Azithromycin (Z-pack)
• Fluoroquinolones: Ciprofloxacin - avoid with tendons
• Aminoglycosides: Gentamicin - watch kidneys and hearing

Mental Health

• SSRIs: Prozac, Zoloft - watch for serotonin syndrome
• Benzodiazepines: Ativan, Xanax - addiction risk!
• Antipsychotics: Haloperidol - watch for extrapyramidal symptoms
• Mood stabilizers: Lithium - watch sodium levels!

Diabetes

• Insulin: Rapid, short, intermediate, long-acting
• Oral agents: Metformin, Glipizide

⚠️ Critical Nursing Considerations

Before Giving Any Medication - ALWAYS:

• Check allergies!
• Verify the order
• Know the purpose
• Know side effects
• Assess before and after

💉 IV Medication Tips

• Central lines: Higher risk - double check everything
• IV push: Know the rate (e.g., "over 2 minutes")
• IV piggyback: Must be compatible with primary solution
• Watch for infiltration: Pain, swelling, cool skin
• Calculate drip rates: mL/hr = (total mL × gtt factor) ÷ time

🚫 Key Drug Interactions & Contraindications

• Aspirin + Warfarin: Increased bleeding risk
• Potassium + ACE inhibitors: Risk of hyperkalemia
• Grapefruit + many drugs: Increases drug levels
• Alcohol + CNS depressants: Respiratory depression
• NSAIDs + ACE inhibitors: Kidney damage

📝 Must-Know Antidotes