Medication Classes and Examples

There is no expectation to know specific drugs. This list is just to help learn drug classes and potentially use drug names if you would like to increase your roleplay abilities.

Analgesics (Pain Killers)

These are pain relievers and fever reducers. For our use they will be broken down into two sub-categories: Non-narcotic analgesics for minor to moderate pain, and narcotic analgesic for severe pain.

Mild Pain (Non-Narcotic, Pain 1-3)

  • Acetaminophen/Paracetamol (Tylenol) (Non-NSAID)
  • Ibuprofen (Motrin) (NSAID)
  • Naproxen (Aleve) (NSAID)

Moderate Pain (Pain 4-6)

  • Tramadol (Ultram)
  • Acetaminophen-Codeine (Tylenol-3/Vopac)
  • Oxycodone-Acetaminophen (Percocet)
  • Hydrocodone-Acetaminophen (Vicodin)

Severe Pain (7-10)

  • Morphine
  • Hydromorphone (Dilaudid)

Use your judgment when determining the pain level of the patient, and always err on the side of caution when a patient comes in and immediately asks for narcotics. It will happen more than you might be prepared for.

Anesthetics

General Anesthetics include:

  • Propofol IV (Full Sedation)
  • Ketamine IV (Partial Sedation)

Local Anesthetics include:

  • Lidocaine

Anti-infectives

Antibiotics

Used for bacterial infection, such as meningitis, appendicitis, or common UTI (Urinary Tract Infection)

  • Amoxicillin (Amoxil) - Penicillin-based antibiotic
  • Vancomycin (Vancocin)* Non-Penicillin
  • Sulfamethoxazole-Trimethoprim (Bactrim) - for use in patients with Penicillin allergy

Antivirals

Used for treating viral infection, such as influenza, bronchitis, or streptococcal pharyngitis

  • Acyclovir (Zovirax)
  • Amantadine (Symmetrel)
  • Ritonavir (Norvir)

Antifungals

Used to treat fungal infections, such as Athlete’s Foot, or Ringworm

  • Voriconazole (Vfend)
  • Clotrimazole (Lotrimin)
  • Terbinafine (Lamisil)

Cardiovascular

Hypertension

High blood pressure

  • Nitroglycerin

Hypotension

Low blood pressure

  • Fludrocortisone (Florinef)

Cardiac Arrest

  • Epinephrine (Adrenaline)

Tachycardia

High heart rate, tachycardia occurs when the heart rate is above 100 bpm.

  • Diltiazem (Cardizem)

Bradycardia

Low heart rate, bradycardia occurs when the heart rate is below 60 bpm.

  • Epinephrine (Adrenaline)

Coagulant

Controls or prevents excessive bleeding during surgery or after trauma by clotting the blood. Can create blood clots in the body if misused. Potentially deadly.

  • Tranexamic Acid (TXA)

Anticoagulant (Blood Thinner)

A patient on blood thinners will likely have more severe injuries in subsequent injuries after being on blood thinners as bleeding will be hard to stop.

  • Warfarin
    • Requires follow-ups for dosage changes
  • Rivaroxaban (Xarelto)
    • Does not require follow-ups
  • Heparin
    • Used in the hospital only to reduce any further formation of blood clots or reduce risk of forming blood clots anywhere in the body

Diuretics

Also called “water pills”, these are a class of drugs that help to rid your body of sodium, and water.They do so by helping your kidneys release more sodium into the urine, which in turn removes excess water from your bloodstream. This decreases the amount of fluid flowing through your veins and arteries, lowering your blood pressure.

Some diuretics include:

  • Furosemide (Lasix)0
  • Mannitol (Resectisol)
    • Used specifically for brain pressure/swelling
  • Metolazone (Zaroxolyn)
  • Spironolactone (Aldactone)
  • Acetazolamide (Diamox)
  • Hydrochlorothiazide (Microzide)

Gastro-Intestinal

Antiemetics (Anti-Nausea)

  • Lorazepam (Ativan)
    • Used in this case as a 3rd line option in the hospital to treat nausea and vomiting, but also is a benzodiazepine with numerous other effects and is addictive.

Neurological

Anticonvulsants (Seizures)

These help to normalize the way nerve impulses travel along the nerve cells which helps prevent or treat seizures. When the brain is working normally the nerve cells talk to each other using controlled electrical signals from one nerve cell to another. This tells the body to do everything it needs or wants to do. During a seizure there is a change in the level of nerve cell electrical signals from a normal level to an excessive or abnormal amount of nerve signals. This increased nerve activity is responsible for the signs and symptoms of a seizure. There are many conditions that can trigger a seizure, and the situation you may be faced with most would be due to a traumatic brain injury. However, some anticonvulsants can also be used to treat neurological pain as well as bipolar disorder

Some anticonvulsants include:

  • Gabapentin (Neurontin, Gralise)
  • Carbamazepine (Tegretol)
  • Phenytoin (Dilantin)
  • Primidone (Mysoline)

Migraine and Cluster Headache Medications

Treats intense migraines or cluster headaches. Work particularly well if caught early.

  • Sumatriptan (Imitrex)

Poison Control

Opiod Overdose

Treats overdose caused by opioids / narcotics.

  • Naloxone (Narcan)

Poisoning

Used for suspected poisonings; encourages emesis (vomiting) as well preventing the stomach from absorbing the poison into the body.

  • Activated Charcoal

Psychological / Mental Health

Antidepressant

  • Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors - SSRIs
  • Serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors - SNRIs
  • Tricyclic antidepressants - TCAs

Antipsychotics

  • Atypical
    • Olanzapine
    • Quetiapine
    • Risperidone
  • Typical

Anxiolytics

Drugs that lower anxiety by calming the electrical activity in the brain.

  • Lorazepam (Ativan)
  • Diazepam
  • Benzodiazepines

Mood Stabilizers

  • Lithium
  • Valproate
  • Lamotrigine

Respiratory

Antihistamines

  • Diphenhydramine (Benadryl)

Bronchodilators

Medications that relax and open the airway

  • Albuterol (Salbutamol) (Ventolin HFA)

Inhaled Corticosteroids

Medications that treat the inflammation in the lungs that cause breathing problems

  • Fluticasone (Flovent HFA)

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