This nursing cheatsheet will help you learn about common medication prefixes and suffixes, which are vital in identifying and understanding various drug classes. For example, the prefix "ceph-" indicates Cephalosporins, as in cephalexin. The suffix "-actone" refers to potassium-sparing diuretics like spironolactone, while "-cillin" is associated with penicillins such as ampicillin. The suffix "-cyclovir" is typically found in antiviral medications like acyclovir. Antimicrobials often end in "-dazole," as in metronidazole, and proton pump inhibitors use "-prazole," like omeprazole. ACE inhibitors are identified by the suffix "-prill," such as lisinopril. The suffix "-sartan" denotes Angiotensin II receptor antagonists, used as antihypertensives, while "-sone" indicates corticosteroids like prednisone. The "-statin" suffix is used for cholesterol-lowering drugs, like rosuvastatin, and "-thiazide" signifies Thiazide diuretics. H2 receptor antagonists often end in "-tidine," like ranitidine, and antivirals typically have "-vir" in their names. Finally, "-zepam" and "-zolam" are found in benzodiazepines, such as lorazepam.
