"Decoding Drug Nomenclature: Understanding Prefixes and Suffixes in Pharmaceutical Terminology"
Pharmaceuticals play a crucial role in modern medicine, and a clear understanding of drug names is essential for healthcare professionals and patients alike. However, many drug names can seem like a foreign language to the uninitiated. That's where prefixes and suffixes come in. These linguistic components provide valuable information about the origin, composition, and purpose of a drug. In this blog, we'll explore the most common drug prefixes and suffixes, demystifying their meanings and helping you to make sense of those confusing pharmaceutical labels. So whether you're a student studying pharmacology, or simply someone who wants to have a better understanding of their medication, this guide is for you.
STEM | DEFINITION OR CLASS | EXAMPLES |
-ac | NSAID (acetic acid derivatives) | bromfenac, dexpemedolac |
-adol- | Mixed opiate receptor agonists/antagonists | levonantradol, spiradoline, tazadolene |
-afil | Inhibitor of PDE5 with vasodilator action | sildenafil (viagra), tadalafil |
-alol | Combined alpha and beta blockers | labetalol, medroxalol |
-andr- | Androgens | nandrolone |
-anib | Angiogenesis inhibitors | Pazopanib, Vandetanib |
-anserin | Serotonin 5-HT (sub) 2 receptor antagonists | altanserin, tropanserin |
-arabine | Antineoplastics | fludarabine |
-ase | Enzymes | alglucerase, dornase alfa |
-atadine | Tricyclic anti-asthmatics | olopatadine, loratadine |
-axine | Antianxiety, antidepressant | venlafaxine |
-azenil | Benzodiazepine receptor agonists/antagonist | bretazenil, flumazenil |
-pam | Anti-anxiety | lorazepam, diazepam |
-azepide | Cholecystokinin receptor antagonists | devazepide |
-azocine | Narcotic antagonists/agonists | quadazocine, ketazocine |
-azoline | Antihistamines/local vasoconstrictors | antazoline |
-azosin | Antihypertensives | doxazosin |
-bactam | Beta-lactamase inhibitors | sulbactam |
-bamate | Tranquilizers/antiepileptics | meprobamate, felbamate |
-barb- | Barbituric acid derivatives | phenobarbital, secobarbital |
-bersat | Anticonvulsants; antimigraine | carabersat; tidembersat |
-bufen | NSAID | indobufen |
-butan | Antiseptics | dapabutan, lopbutan |
-zone | Anti-inflammatory analgesics | mofebutazone |
-caine | Local anesthetics | lidocaine, dibucaine |
-carbef | Antibiotics | loracarbef |
-cillin | Antibiotics | ampicillin, penicillin |
-cog | Blog coagulation factors | eptacog alfa, nonacog alfa, octocog alfa |
-zole | Antifungals | fluconazole, oxiconazole |
-cort- | Corticosteroid | hydrocortisone |
-curium | Neuromuscular blocking agents | atracurium |
-cyline | Antibiotics (tetracycline type) | minocycline, tetracyline |
-dralazine | Antihypertensives | hydralazine |
-dronate | Calcium metabolism regulators | etidronate, tiludronate |
-ectin | Antiparasitics | doramectin, moxidectin |
-erg- | Ergot alkaloid derivatives | pergolide |
-ide | Diuretics | bumetanide, furosemide |
-fenamic | Anti-inflammatory | mefenamic acid, flufenamic acid |
-fentanil | Narcotic analgesics | alfentanil, mirfentanil |
-fibrate | Antihyperlipidemics | bezafibrate |
-flurane | Inhalation anesthetics | enflurane, isoflurane |
-gest- | Progestins | megestrol |
-giline | MAO-inhibitors | selegiline |
-gillin | Antibiotics | mitogillin |
-gliptin | Antihyperglycemics | vildagliptin |
-glitazar | Antihyperglycemics | farglitazar |
-flizatone | Antihyperglycemics | ciglitazone, rosiglitazone |
-grel- | Platelet aggregation inhibitor | clopidogrel, ticagrelor |
-imex | Immunostimulants | forfenimex, roquinimex |
-imus | Immunosuppressives | tacrolimus, napirimus, gusperimus |
-irudin | Anticoagulants | desirudin |
-leukin | Interleukin-2 derivatives | teceleukin, aldesleukin |
-lukast | Leukotriene antagonists | montelukast, zafirlukast |
-mab | Monoclonal antibodies | capromab, daclizumab, detumomab |
-mantadine | Antivirals | rimantadine |
-milast | Antiasthmatics/antiallergics | piclamilast |
-monam | Monobactam antibiotics | gloximonam |
-mustine | Antineoplastics | carmustine |
-mycin | Antibiotics | lincomycin |
-olol | Betablockers | timolol, atenolol |
-one | Steroids | minaxolone, prednisolone |
-orphan | Narcotic antagonists/agonists | methrorphan, dextrorphan |
-oxacin | Antibiotics | dilfoxacin, ciprofloxacin |
-oxetine | Antidepressants | duloxetine, reboxetine |
-pamide | Diuretics | adipamide |
-pamil | Coronary vasodilators | tiapamil |
-parin | Heparin derivatives | heparin, tinzaparin, dalteparin |
-peridol | Antipsychotics | haloperidol |
-peridone | Antipsychotics | risperidone, iloperidone |
-pidem | Hypnotics/Sedatives | zolpidem, alpidem |
-piridine | Cognition enhancers | linopiridine, besipiridine |
-poetin | Erythropoietins | epoetin alfa, epoetin beta |
-pramine | Antidepressants | lofepramine |
-prazole | Proton-pump inhibitor | omeprazole, lansoprazole |
-pred- | Prednisone derivatives | prednicarbate, cloprednol |
-pril | Antihypertensive | captopril, lisinopril, enalapril |
-profen | Anti-inflammatory/analgesics | flurbiprofen, ibuprofen |
-prost- | Prostaglandin analogue | latanoprost, unoprostone |
-rubicin | Antineoplastic antibiotics | epirubicin, idarubicin |
-sartan | Angiotensin II receptor antagonists | losartan, eprosartan, irbesartan |
-statin | HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors | atorvastatin, fluvastatin, lovastatin |
-one | Steroids | testosterone |
-sulfa | Antibiotics | sulfasalazine |
-tegrast | Antiasthmatics/antiallergics | Valategrast |
-terol | Bronchodilators | albuterol |
-thiazide | Diuretics | chlorothiazide, hydrochlorothiazide |
-tide | peptides and glycopeptides | Nesiritide, Octreotide |
-tocin | Oxytocin | Oxytocin, pitocin |
-trexate | Antimetabolites | methotrexate |
-triptyline | Antidepressants | amitriptyline |
-uracil | Thyroid antagonist and antineoplastic | fluorouracil |
-zolast | Antiasthmatics | eclazolast, ontazolast |
cef- | Cephalosporins | cefazolin |
estr- | Estrogens | estrone |
-vir | Antiviral | viroxime, acyclovir, oseltamivir |
To pass your Ordre des infirmières et infirmiers du Québec OIIQ-RN Exam go to: www.rn101questionbank.com
To pass your Ordre des infirmières et infirmiers auxiliaires du Québec OIIAQ-LPN Exam go to: www.rn101lpnquestionbank.com
Follow us on Instagram for more free nursing materials: https://www.instagram.com/jimbriant/
