Nursing Field Notes / Pharmacology · Foundations Course

Drug Suffixes 🔤

Spot the Pattern — Suffix → Class → Mechanism

NG-199 Pharmacology ADHD-friendly visual edition

Drug names look random until you notice they aren't — the last few letters give away the whole drug class. This is the page you'll come back to constantly: bookmark it, don't memorize it once and forget it. Suffix first, then class, then mechanism — every time you see an unfamiliar drug name on an exam.

📄 Simple Nursing original — opens in Drive →

❤️ -olol / -pril / -sartanBeta blocker · ACE inhibitor · ARB — all treat BP/heart.

🧠 -pam / -azepamBenzodiazepine — GABA, sedation, seizures, anxiety.

🦠 -cillin / -mycin / -floxacinAntibiotics — cell wall, protein synthesis, DNA.

💊 -prazole / -statinPPI for acid · statin for cholesterol.

❤️

CARDIOVASCULAR & RENAL

TABLE 1

Every one of these ends in blood-pressure-down or clot-prevention — the suffix tells you which lever it pulls.

❤️ Where each suffix acts in the cardiovascular system

🧠 "Heart, Vessel, Kidney, Blood — pick your target, pick your suffix." Almost every cardio drug name tells you exactly where it works.

📋 Cardiovascular & renal suffix reference table

Suffix	Drug class	Mechanism	Examples
-olol	Beta blocker	Blocks beta-adrenergic receptors → ↓HR, ↓contractility, ↓BP	Metoprolol, Atenolol, Propranolol
-dipine	Calcium channel blocker (dihydropyridine)	Blocks calcium into vascular smooth muscle → vasodilation	Amlodipine, Nifedipine
-pril	ACE inhibitor	Blocks angiotensin-converting enzyme → less angiotensin II, less aldosterone	Lisinopril, Enalapril
-sartan	ARB (angiotensin receptor blocker)	Blocks angiotensin II receptors directly	Losartan, Valsartan
-zosin	Alpha-1 blocker	Blocks alpha-1 receptors → vasodilation; also relaxes prostate/bladder neck	Terazosin, Doxazosin, Prazosin
-statin	HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor	Blocks cholesterol synthesis in the liver	Atorvastatin, Rosuvastatin
-darone	Class III antiarrhythmic	Blocks potassium channels, prolongs repolarization	Amiodarone
-semide	Loop diuretic	Blocks Na⁺/K⁺/Cl⁻ reabsorption in the loop of Henle	Furosemide
-zolamide	Carbonic anhydrase inhibitor	Blocks bicarbonate reabsorption in the kidney; also lowers intraocular pressure	Acetazolamide
-parin	Low molecular weight heparin	Potentiates antithrombin, blocks clotting factor Xa	Enoxaparin
-rudin	Direct thrombin inhibitor	Directly blocks thrombin (factor IIa)	Lepirudin

🧠 "OL-DIP-PRIL-SARTAN-ZOSIN" — say the suffixes like a chant in that order and you've named 5 different ways to lower BP.

🧠

CNS, NEURO & ANESTHESIA

TABLE 2

These suffixes cluster around receptors in the brain, spinal cord, and neuromuscular junction.

🧠 CNS suffix map — where in the nervous system each class acts

🧠 "-PAM calms, -APINE/-AZINE quiets psychosis, -CURIUM paralyzes, -CAINE numbs." Four different nervous-system jobs, four different suffix families.

📋 CNS, neuromuscular & anesthesia suffix reference table

Suffix	Drug class	Mechanism	Examples
-pam / -lam	Benzodiazepine	Potentiates GABA → sedation, anxiolysis, anticonvulsant	Diazepam, Lorazepam, Alprazolam
-tal / -barbital	Barbiturate	GABA agonist → CNS depression, narrow safety margin	Phenobarbital
-apine / -idone	Atypical antipsychotic	Blocks dopamine & serotonin receptors	Clozapine, Olanzapine, Risperidone
-azine	Typical antipsychotic / antihistamine (phenothiazines)	Blocks dopamine (or H1) receptors	Chlorpromazine, Thioridazine
-caine	Local anesthetic	Blocks sodium channels → blocks nerve conduction	Lidocaine
-ane	Inhaled general anesthetic	CNS depression via inhalation	Halothane
-stigmine	Acetylcholinesterase inhibitor	Blocks breakdown of acetylcholine → more ACh available	Neostigmine
-curium / -curonium	Nondepolarizing neuromuscular blocker	Blocks acetylcholine receptors at the NMJ → paralysis	Atracurium, Pancuronium
-capone	COMT inhibitor (Parkinson's)	Blocks COMT enzyme → more levodopa available to the brain	Entacapone, Tolcapone

🧠 EXAM TIP -curium/-curonium paralyzes muscle but never touches consciousness — a paralyzed client on these drugs can still hear and feel everything unless also sedated.

🦠

GI & INFECTIOUS DISEASE

TABLE 3

Acid-reducers on one side, anti-infectives on the other — antibiotics group neatly by what part of the microbe they attack.

🦠 Antibiotic suffixes by mechanism — where they attack the microbe

🧠 "Wall, Gyrase, Ribosome, Membrane, Replication" — 5 different microbe targets, 5 different antibiotic suffix families.

🍽️ GI: acid & nausea suffixes

Suffix	Class	Example
-tidine	H2 blocker	Cimetidine, Famotidine
-prazole	Proton pump inhibitor	Omeprazole, Pantoprazole
-setron	5-HT3 blocker (antiemetic)	Ondansetron

🧠 "-TIDINE tames acid, -PRAZOLE plugs the pump, -SETRON stops the sick."

🦠 Infectious disease suffix reference table

Suffix	Class	Example
-cillin	Penicillin (cell wall inhibitor)	Amoxicillin
-penem	Carbapenem, broad spectrum (cell wall)	Imipenem, Meropenem
-floxacin	Fluoroquinolone (DNA gyrase inhibitor)	Ciprofloxacin, Levofloxacin
-mycin	Aminoglycoside or macrolide (protein synthesis)	Gentamicin, Azithromycin
-conazole	Antifungal ("azole")	Ketoconazole, Fluconazole
-quine	Antimalarial	Chloroquine, Primaquine
-ovir	Antiviral, DNA polymerase inhibitor (herpes)	Acyclovir, Ganciclovir, Valacyclovir
-avir	Antiviral protease inhibitor (HIV)	Indinavir, Ritonavir
-vir (neuraminidase)	Antiviral, neuraminidase inhibitor (influenza)	Zanamivir

🧠 CAUTION -mycin covers 2 different classes — aminoglycosides (gentamicin, nephro/ototoxic, needs peak & trough) and macrolides (azithromycin) — don't lump them together on an exam.

🎗️

ONCOLOGY & PRACTICE

TABLE 4 + DRILL

Fewer suffixes here, but they're heavily tested because the drugs are high-alert.

🎗️ Oncology suffix reference table

Suffix	Class	Example
vin-	Vinca alkaloid (microtubule inhibitor)	Vincristine, Vinblastine
-rubicin	Anthracycline (DNA intercalation)	Doxorubicin
-mab	Monoclonal antibody	Rituximab
-tinib	Tyrosine kinase inhibitor	Imatinib

🧠 "-MAB is an antiBody, -TINIB Targets kINase." Both are newer, more targeted cancer therapies compared to older cytotoxic drugs like vincristine and doxorubicin.

🔤 Anatomy of a drug name — find the suffix first

🧠 Cover the front of any drug name, read only the ending — that's the class-guessing trick this whole page is built on.

🎯 Practice drill — name the class from the suffix

Drug	Suffix	Class (cover & guess)
Atenolol	-olol	Beta blocker
Valsartan	-sartan	ARB
Diazepam	-pam	Benzodiazepine
Ciprofloxacin	-floxacin	Fluoroquinolone
Fluconazole	-conazole	Antifungal
Vincristine	vin-	Vinca alkaloid (microtubule inhibitor)

🧠 Fold a paper over the "Class" column and quiz yourself from the suffix alone — that's the whole skill this page teaches.

⚡

QUICK RECALL

SAY IT OUT LOUD

❤️ -olol/-pril/-sartan/-dipineBP-lowering suffix family

🧠 -pam/-apine/-curiumSedate / antipsychotic / paralyze

🦠 -cillin/-floxacin/-mycinWall / DNA / ribosome attack

🎗️ -mab/-tinibAntibody vs. kinase-targeted cancer drugs

🎯 Cover & check — 4 rapid-fire questions

Q1: A drug ends in "-pril" — what class is it and what does it do?

ACE inhibitor — blocks angiotensin-converting enzyme, lowering blood pressure and reducing aldosterone.

Q2: What's the difference between -mab and -tinib drugs?

-mab = monoclonal antibody; -tinib = tyrosine kinase inhibitor. Both are targeted cancer therapies, but they work through completely different mechanisms.

Q3: -cillin and -floxacin both treat bacterial infections — what's the mechanism difference?

-cillin (penicillins) attack the bacterial cell wall; -floxacin (fluoroquinolones) block DNA gyrase, stopping DNA replication.

Q4: What suffix marks a nondepolarizing neuromuscular blocker, and what's the key safety point?

-curium/-curonium. These paralyze muscle but do not sedate or block pain — a client needs separate sedation/analgesia.