SOME TECHNIQUES TO REMEMBER THE

NAMES OF MEDICINES
About the Author: Hafiza Hadia Tahir is one of the most talented students of Hajvery
University, Lahore, Pakistan. She is studying in Pharm. D.

Introduction:
What an interesting topic to discuss. But not so easy to do so in reality. It is sometimes easy to
remember drugs name and sometimes it seems difficult.
[sociallocker]I just recite , when I start learning and this is a fact that it
makes my job much easier. Obviously, because any good things when started in the name
of ALLAH Almighty, seeking His help never goes harder or in vain.
Let us have a brief look at the meanings of this verse, which is very light to say and requires a
few seconds but is very effective.
The word
according to Arabic dictionary means to seek, help, support, and guidance. So, the
whole verse connotes that I seek help or humbly ask for effective help and strongest support
from my Almighty ALLAH for this good purpose of mine and ALLAH, no doubt, is the most
Beneficent and Merciful.
And I believe that when I will ask for help He will definitely help me and will shower His Mercy
on me because He says, in-fact He promises, ( Quran Majeed, Sura # 40, Aya #
60), Ask Me and I will answer you (meaning I will give you what you are asking for.)
In addition to this some other ways may be adopted to manage in memorizing the drug
names;
1st Technique: Firstly start with memorizing of the classification of drugs such as
Antibacterials or CNS drugs etc. then go to its subgroupFor example under Antibacterials
This article is published by Hafiza Hadia Tahir.
Community Pharmacist AID-CPA
For more info contact us on cpapharmacist@gmail.com

Aminoglycosides, Penicillins are included Under Penicillins, Penicillin G, Penicillin

V are included.
2nd Technique: Each day memorize only that much which you can reproduce the next day.
Slowly and steadily you will start remembering them.
3rd Technique: We can make an audio tape as a remainder and played it on loop while we sleep.
After a couple of hours the information seemed familiar when we woke up.
4th Technique: Use of flash cards, markers or highlighters may help.
Colorize each medication with a different color marker or highlighter or write different
classification on different colored flash card.
Symbol cues may also help, so draw a symbol next to drug names.
Markers, colors, highlighters are important because we are visually oriented more than we are by
written language.
5th Technique: Drugs names belongs to a class can be memorize through Alphabets e.g. a
class of Beta-blocker contain alphabet hints as: A, C, E, L, M, N [MAN, CEL]

Atenolol

Carvedilol

Esmolol

Labetolol

Metoprolol

Nadolol

6th Technique: We can also apply mnemonics. The vastness of drugs cannot be handled by our
mind. So we need to compress it or zip it just as a computer would do to files!
We make mnemonics, a certain story or figure came in our mind that would help us to recall the
drugs. Lets say for Beta-blockers from antihypertensives, they have almost same ending -olols
such as metoprolol, propranolol etc.
It may be a helpful way to memorize the drugs but there is a problem with some classes that is
some classes may have an outlier which does not sound like other drugs belonging to same class.
For example, an outlier would be diltiazim, a Ca-channel blocker (CCB) which doesnt sound
This article is published by Hafiza Hadia Tahir.
Community Pharmacist AID-CPA
For more info contact us on cpapharmacist@gmail.com

like nifedipine, felodipine and verapamil, as CCBs usually end in ine or il. So, you have to
know this one on its own.
Other example is Ethacrynic acid which is a loop diuretic and it does not sound like furosemide,
bumetanide and torsemide.
As far as confusing classes of drugs such as Anti-arrhythmics, you just make a chart and learn
which drugs belong in which subgroup but againif you make the chart, there is usually some
consistency and you just have to learn outliers.
A chart can help you to remember drugs names through their end bits

A Chart

Isoflurane
-ane

Inhalation gases

Desflurane
Clonazepam

-azepam

Benzodiazepine

Flurazepam
Chlorpromazine

-azine

Phenothiazine

Triflupromazine
Imidazole

-azol

Antifungal

Thiazole
Phenobarbital

-barbital

Barbiturates

Allobarbital

This article is published by Hafiza Hadia Tahir.

Community Pharmacist AID-CPA
For more info contact us on cpapharmacist@gmail.com

Cocaine
-caine

Local anesthetic

Lognocaine
Amoxicillin

Antibiotics (Protease
-cillin

synthesis inhibitors)

Ampicillin
Paroxetine

-etine

SSRIs

Fluoxetine
Imipramine

-ipramine

TCAs

Desipramine
Saquinavir

-navir

Protease inhibitor

Ritonavir
Propranolol

-olol

Beta-blocker

Carvedilol
Digoxin

-oxin

Cardiac glycosides

Digitoxin
Theophylline

-phyline

Methyl xanthine

Aminophylline
Enalapril

-pril

ACE inhibitor

Captopril

-terol

Beta2 agonist

Salmeterol

This article is published by Hafiza Hadia Tahir.

Community Pharmacist AID-CPA
For more info contact us on cpapharmacist@gmail.com

Albuterol
Nizatidine
-tidine

H2 antagonist

Cimetidine
Sumatriptan

-triptan

5HT agonist/migraine

Lomitriptan
Adrenocorticotropin

-tropin

Pituitary hormone

Somatriptan
Alprazolam

-zolam

Benzodiazepine

Ketazolam
Prazosin

-zosin

A1 antagonist

Terazosin
Acyclovir

-vir

Antiviral

Famciclovir
Thiazide

-zide

Diuretic

Hydrochlorthiazide
Prednisolone

-sone

Steroids

Prednisone
Codone (Codeine)

-done

Opioid analgesic

Hydrocodone

This article is published by Hafiza Hadia Tahir.

Community Pharmacist AID-CPA
For more info contact us on cpapharmacist@gmail.com

Glimipride
-ide

Oral hypoglycemics

Glipizide
Cimetidine

-dine

Anti-ulcer

Nizatidine
Escitalopram

-am

Antianxiety

Citalopram

Conclusion:
The best way to learn drug names.well that depends on how you learn. Find out which way
helps you learn best and stick to it. Once you will find something that works for sure, you will
know how to learn it well.
Just be creative and give sometime making mnemonics or chart and I want to say repetition is the
key to success in memorizing the drug names if you make a habit of it surely you will be
mastering it.
I dont know about your expectations from this article but above mentioned ways will surely
help you to learn a vast number of drugs in a short period of time.
Good luck!

This article is published by Hafiza Hadia Tahir.

Community Pharmacist AID-CPA
For more info contact us on cpapharmacist@gmail.com