Another great way of understanding medications is to know the common drug stems. Usually, drugs of the same therapeutic class are given names with the same stem. These stems are mostly placed word-finally, but in some cases word-initial stems are also used.
Stems are useful by making communication of drugs more precise to avoid prescribing errors. Having unambiguous standard of names for each drug is important because a drug may be sold by many different brand names, or a branded medication may contain more than one drug.
The hyphens indicate the position of the stem, prefix, infix or suffix, within the INN. In the event that the hyphen is absent, the stem may be used in any position within the name.
Below is a cheat sheet table that has three columns: Drug Stem, Drug Class, and an Example. Each stem has hyphens at one or both ends of its text to show that it is found at the beginning, end, or in the middle of the generic name.
Download
Using the link below, you can download the PDF file of the cheat sheet. You can print it by using a Letter size paper.
- Common Drug Stems Cheat Sheet (PDF, 171kB)
Common Drug Stems Cheat Sheet
| Drug Stem | Drug Class and/or Stem Explanation | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| –alol | Combined alpha and beta blockers | labetalol, medroxalol |
| –andr– | Androgens | nandrolone |
| –anserin | Serotonin 5–HT(sub)2 receptor antagonists | altanserin, tropanserin, altanserin |
| –arabine | Antineoplastics (arabinofuranosyl derivatives) | fludarabine |
| –ase | Enzymes | alglucerase, dornase alfa |
| –azepam | Antianxiety agents (diazepam type) | lorazepam |
| –azosin | Antihypertensives (prazosin type) | doxazosin |
| –bactam | Beta–lactamase inhibitors | sulbactam |
| –bamate | Tranquilizers/antiepileptics | meprobamate, felbamate |
| –barb | Barbituric acid derivatives | phenobarbital |
| –butazone | Anti–inflammatory analgesics (phenylbutazone type) | mofebutazone |
| –caine | Local anesthetics | dibucaine |
| cef– | Cephalosporins | cefazolin |
| –cillin | Penicillins | ampicillin |
| –conazole | Antifungals (miconazole type) | fluconazole, oxiconazole |
| –cort– | Cortisone derivatives | hydrocortisone |
| –curium | Neuromuscular blocking agents | atracurium |
| –cycline | Antibiotics (tetracycline type) | minocycline |
| –dralazine | Antihypertensives (hydrazine–phthalazines) | hydralazine |
| –erg– | Ergot alkaloid derivatives | pergolide |
| estr– | Estrogens | estrone |
| –fibrate | Antihyperlipidemics | bezafibrate |
| –flurane | Inhalation anesthetics | enflurane, isoflurane |
| –gest– | Progestins | megestrol |
| –irudin | Anticoagulants | desirudin |
| –leukin | Interleukin–2 derivatives | teceleukin, aldesleukin |
| –lukast | Leukotriene antagonists | montelukast, zafirlukast |
| –mab | Monoclonal antibodies | capromab, daclizumab, detumomab, |
| –mantadine | Antivirals | rimantadine |
| –monam | Monobactam antibiotics | gloximonam |
| –mustine | Antineoplastics | carmustine |
| –mycin | Antibiotics (streptomyces strains) | lincomycin |
| –olol | Beta–blockers (propranolol type) | timolol, atenolol |
| –olone | Steroids (no prednisone derivatives) | minaxolone |
| –oxacin | Antibiotics (quinolone derivatives) | difloxacin, ciprofloxacin |
| –pamide | Diuretics (sulfamoylbenzoic acid derivatives) | adipamide |
| –pamil | Coronary vasodilators | tiapamil |
| –parin | Heparin derivatives and low molecular weight (or depolymerized) heparins | heparin, tinzaparin, dalteparin |
| –peridol | Antipsychotics (haloperidol type) | haloperidol |
| –poetin | Erythropoietins | epoetin alfa, epoetin beta |
| –pramine | Antidepressants (imipramine type) | lofepramine |
| –pred | Prednisone derivatives | prednicarbate, cloprednol |
| –pril | Antihypertensives (ACE inhibitors) | enalapril, temocapril, spirapril |
| –profen | Anti–inflammatory/analgesic agents (ibuprofen type) | flurbiprofen |
| –rubicin | Antineoplastic antibiotics (daunorubicin type) | epirubicin, idarubicin |
| –sartan | Angiotensin II receptor antagonists | losartan, eprosartan |
| –sulfa | Antibiotics (sulfonamide derivatives) | sulfasalazine |
| –thiazide | Diuretics (thiazide derivatives) | chlorothiazide |
| –tocin | Oxytocin derivatives | oxytocin, pitocin |
| –trexate | Antimetabolites (folic acid derivatives) | methotrexate |
| –triptyline | Antidepressants | amitriptyline |
| -uracil | Uracil derivatives used as thyroid antagonists and as antineoplastics | fluorouracil |
| –vastatin | Antihyperlipidemics (HMG–CoA inhibitors) | lovastatin, simvastatin |
| vir-, -vir- or -vir | Antiviral substances (undefined group) | viroxime, envirodyne, ganciclovir |
See Also
- Cheat Sheets
- IV Fluids and Solutions Quick Reference Guide Cheat Sheet
- List of Common Drugs & Their Antidotes That Nurses Should Know!
- Common Laboratory Values Cheat Sheet
