# Help!!! How do you remember all the drugs and dosages



## Paulsen7158 (Oct 6, 2009)

Im in medic school through NCTI, and I can remember the drugs for a week or so while we are tested on them and then a few days later I can only remember parts of the drugs... I am really having a hard time grasping the dosages. I write them down on flash cards and everything, I just cant quite grasp how to keep them in the old memory bank.


ANY tips would be greatly appreciated and or how you got through medic school!


-paulsen7158


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## grich242 (Oct 6, 2009)

Put these 3 things on your flash cards nothing more..
1. name trade and generic on the front
on the back
2. dose with route (IM> IV. PO. etc)
3. class
This part is like learning your abc's this info will give you what you need to know to start. There is a limited amount of space available to your memory recall filling it with things like indications side affects etc. will make the cup run over. With this ifno you can figure out the rest. here's how and it takes some work and study. You need to have a solid understanding of the drugs mechanism of action. meaning you need to know how it works and breaks down in the body. As well as the disease process you're treating. Thats why you see people harping on A&P education etc. A great supplemental book I used was Brady's Prehospital Pharm. (although it was over 12 years ago) it has a good breakdown of mech. of action thats easy to understand. If you know that nitro is a vasodilator(not for chest pain) and understand what it means, you will be able to figure out when it will benifit when its a bad idea for your patient and why. knowing the mech of action u will understand the side affects that take time and study start with you abc's and you'll be a paramedic not a parrot medic. you can also try some rn texts though I dont know of any specific ones.I'm sure they're out there.


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## grich242 (Oct 6, 2009)

one more thing when memorizing the drugs don't worry about uses focus on those three things and you'll be able to remember them a lot easier the rest will come together. hope this helps.


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## MCGLYNN_EMTP (Oct 8, 2009)

Yeah...Just put the minimum amount of info on the cards...Name on front and on the back put dose / route and class...start of with learning that...the rest will come alot easier..then maybe you can add indications then contraindications as you become more comfortable with it....HANG IN THERE...it will come


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## DV_EMT (Oct 8, 2009)

as a pharmacy tech.... everything stated above is correct. if you think medic school is bad... try the pharmacy tech board.  Why do I need to know that atrovastatin is lipitor... and carboxymethocellulose ir artificial tears... I have ni idea.... but its rattling around up there somewhere 

Its best to start with brand (trade) to generic.... once youve got it one way... the other way should be ok. Its easy to know that benadryl is an antihistamine and sleep aid... but remembering diphenahydramine is a lot harder... so remember trade name and go from there.


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## MrBrown (Oct 8, 2009)

grich242 said:


> Put these 3 things on your flash cards nothing more..
> 1. name trade and generic on the front
> on the back
> 2. dose with route (IM> IV. PO. etc)
> 3. class



Right, contraindications, side effects and mechanisim of action are sooo not important


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## Kookaburra (Oct 16, 2009)

I think the point is that if you try to force too much information about the drugs _at first_ you will find it very hard to keep the information in your mental files. Building a firm foundation by knowing those three basic things will enable you to remember the fine details more easily. It builds a mental framework for the additional information, and aids retention.


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## grich242 (Oct 16, 2009)

The point is that there is a large difference between memorizing and knowing. things like indications side affects mechanisim of action.. require a higher level of knowledge.(memorization is the lowest form) for instance children learn to say their abc's well before they can read. Think of those 3 things as your abc's and when you get to the higher levels of learning pharm you'll already know your abc's. More importantly mech of action indications etc. are not things you memorize because you need to understand them and the theory behind them.I'll spare you more teaching theory,  It will eventually all come together and you won't have to worry about dosages and names when you are trying to focus on a deeper understanding of pharm. the side affects indications etc. are part of that deeper understanding.


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## HotelCo (Oct 17, 2009)

DV_EMT said:


> atrovastatin is lipitor... and carboxymethocellulose ir artificial tears....



Show off...


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## nightstar22 (Nov 3, 2009)

in class, we had to make books that had the drug name, mg, dosage, contraindications, indications, and so on. 
after we finsished class, we kept these books and carried them with us, just in case we forgot something, or wanted to double check what we were about to do.


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## DV_EMT (Nov 3, 2009)

HotelCo said:


> Show off...



Nah. It's just funny to know some of them.. And their random generic names


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## Shishkabob (Nov 3, 2009)

Forget the flashcards.  Do what works for you.


I started doing flashcards then got bored with them.




The way I learned the drugs was learned how they worked, what they did, and what they were used for.  Once you know what Morphine does, you'll know what it's used for.  Dosages come easy after that.


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## Epi-do (Nov 3, 2009)

Something else you can do, if flashcards aren't your thing, is to sit in the truck with your partner and have him/her pick up one of the drugs in the box.  Then see how much you can tell them about that particular medication.

You will be surprised at how much you actually know, that you didn't think you did.  The more you review things, the more you will retain.  It just takes time.


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## firecoins (Nov 3, 2009)

I memorized my local protocols which included the dosages.  Than I filled in all the rest of the information I needed.  Its just how I needed to learn.


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## MMiz (Nov 3, 2009)

I teach my students five different ways to memorize facts and content, and I'm amazed at how many of them pick the different options.

1.  Traditional flash cards
2.  Create a funny/intriguing story correctly using the material
3.  Create a traditional flash card buy color code them into categories, and use a picture
4.  Repetition - Write the information ten times
5.  Music - Write a song or rap that defines all of the vocabulary.  Once you’ve written your piece, practice is many times so that you’ll remember the words and their definitions

It's one thing to use the study guides, but another thing to master the words.  Make it part of your daily routine.


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## atropine (Nov 3, 2009)

I have suggestion for you homes, "Adderall", go back to emt school until, you perform in the big leagues.


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## Sarah (Nov 11, 2009)

I wanted to get a head start on pharmacology, don't have all the required literature at the moment. Anyone know any sites, that lists all the nationally approved ALS drugs?


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## HuiNeng (Nov 11, 2009)

Sarah said:


> I wanted to get a head start on pharmacology, don't have all the required literature at the moment. Anyone know any sites, that lists all the nationally approved ALS drugs?



Not sure about national, but here's a pdf link to Wisconsin's Paramedic medications. Your state or provice probably has a very similar list somewhere.


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## kevin.goddard (Nov 12, 2009)

*How about remembering the dosages?*

What helped you remember them for each drug?


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## NorCalLaxx (Dec 15, 2009)

I am just finishing up the didactic portion of my medic program, and this may sound stupid, but one of the ways a couple classmates and I found that helped was to use the actual drug name to help jog your memory. 
For example,
Amiodarone
The m looks like a sideways 3, so it reminds me that the initial dose (for a pulseless pt) is 300mg.

Atropine
The "trop" reminds me of "stop", so I remember atropine is indicated for symptomatic bradys, heart blocks, PEA, asystole and organophosphate poisoning.
And for dosing, 0.5 if alive, 1 if done, 2-3 O.P.P. (Org.phos. poisoning)

haha, I don't know if this makes sense to anyone else, but we got pretty creative with them and it lead to some pretty interesting study sessions. Disclaimer: this only a way to help get the initial basic grasp of the drugs and remembering them for quizzes. DO NOT rely on these word games to get you through school and/or internships.
Also, like everyone else has been saying, take the time to actually understand what each drug does and how it works and why you are giving it. I was really good at regurgitating the info on the quizzes, but as class progressed, I had realized I actually made it worse for myself and couldn't relate the words on the page to an actual scenario, let alone remember anything but the most recent drugs. So be sure to go back and review the previous drugs as well.
Just my 2 cents.
Good luck!!!


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## MrBrown (Dec 16, 2009)

How many drugs to you need to remember? You should have a bound copy of your standing orders anyway or, make up one and get it laminated as a sheet from Kinko's or something.


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