Brand to Generic Drugs

If you’re preparing for the Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam, it can be difficult to know where to begin. There are several key topics that you will be expected to understand, including brand and generic medications, pharmacy law, pharmacy calculations, medication safety, and federal regulations. While it may seem overwhelming at first, breaking these topics into manageable sections can make studying easier and more effective.

Each of these subjects plays an important role in ensuring patient safety and the accurate delivery of healthcare. Taking the time to truly understand these concepts, instead of just memorizing them for the exam, will help you become a more confident and knowledgeable pharmacy technician. In this post, I’ll walk you through the first major topic, brand to generic drugs. This topic represents one of the largest areas of medication knowledge tested on the exam, making it one of the highest-yield areas to focus on while studying.

How to Recognize Common Suffixes

Most study guides recommend memorizing the Top 200 medications. While knowing these drugs is important, 200 can sound like an overwhelming number. Fortunately, many medications can be grouped by their suffixes, making them much easier to learn.

• -statin: HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (Commonly used to lower cholesterol)
  • Atorvastatin – Lipitor
  • Rosuvastatin – Crestor
  • Simvastatin – Zocor
• -sartan: Angiotensin II Receptor Blockers/ARBs (Commonly used to lower blood pressure)
  • Losartan – Cozaar
  • Valsartan – Diovan
  • Irbesartan – Avapro
• -dronate: Bisphosphonates (Commonly used for osteoporosis)
  • Alendronate – Fosamax
  • Risedronate – Actonel
  • Ibandronate – Boniva
• -olol: Beta Blockers (Various uses: lower blood pressure, slow heart rate, etc. Some work specifically, some unspecific)
  • Metoprolol – Lopressor/Toprol XL
  • Atenolol – Tenormin
  • Propranolol – Inderal
• -pril: ACE Inhibitors (Commonly used to lower blood pressure)
  • Lisinopril – Zestril/Prinivil
  • Enalapril – Vasotec
  • Ramipril – Altace
• -pam and -lam: Benzodiazepines (Controlled mostly used as a sleep aid or for anxiety)
  • Diazepam – Valium
  • Lorazepam – Ativan
  • Alprazolam – Xanax
• -prazole: Proton Pump Inhibitors/PPIs (Commonly used to reduce stomach acid, acid reflux, heartburn)
  • Omeprazole – Prilosec
  • Lansoprazole – Prevacid
  • Esomeprazole – Nexium
• -dipine: Calcium Channel Blockers/CCBs (Commonly used to lower blood pressure)
  • Amlodipine – Norvasc
  • Nifedipine – Procardia
  • Felodipine – Plendil
• -azole: Antifungals
  • Fluconazole – Diflucan
  • Ketoconazole – Nizoral
  • Clotrimazole – Lotrimin
• -mycin/-cillin/-cycline: Antibiotics
  • Azithromycin – Zithromax (Z-Pack)
  • Amoxicillin – Amoxil
  • Doxycycline – Vibramycin
• -terol: Bronchodilators
  • Albuterol – Ventolin/ProAir
  • Salmeterol – Serevent

Although suffixes are one of the easiest ways to recognize medication classes, many commonly prescribed medications do not follow a recognizable naming pattern. These medications are important to memorize individually. For example, aripiprazole ends in a similar suffix to fluconazole, but aripiprazole is an atypical antipsychotic while fluconazole is an antifungal. This is a good reminder that suffixes are helpful, but they are not foolproof. When studying for the PTCB, try to keep an open mind, practice identifying suffixes to their drug class, and understand the exceptions.

Here is a list of other important medications that don’t necessarily fit into particular suffixes that you’ll need to know for your exam.

Diuretics (Help reduce water retention)

• Furosemide – Lasix
• Hydrochlorothiazide – Microzide
• Spironolactone – Aldactone

Antiplatelet (Help with preventing blood clots)

• Clopidogrel – Plavix
• Ticagrelor – Brilinta

Anticoagulants (Commonly known as blood thinners)

• Apixaban – Eliquis
• Rivaroxaban – Xarelto
• Warfarin – Coumadin
• Enoxaparin – Lovenox

Hypothyroidism (Under-active thyroid hormone production)

• Levothyroxine – Synthroid/Unithroid/Levoxyl
• Liothyronine – Cytomel

Hyperthyroidism (Over-active thyroid hormone production)

• Methimazole – Tapazole

H2 Receptor Blockers (Stomach acid, GERD, acid reflux)

• Famotidine – Pepcid

Antiemetic (Anti-nausea)

• Ondansetron – Zofran

Antidepressants/antipsychotics

• Bupropion – Wellbutrin
• Sertraline – Zoloft
• Aripiprazole – Abilify
• Fluoxetine – Prozac

Antibiotics

• Nitrofurantoin – Macrobid
• Cephalexin – Keflex

Muscle relaxers

• Cyclobenzaprine – Flexeril
• Methocarbamol – Robaxin
• Tizanidine – Zanaflex
• Baclofen – Lioresal

Diabetes

• Metformin – Glucophage
• Glipizide – Glucotrol
• Pioglitazone – Actos
• Empagliflozin – Jardiance
• Semaglutide – Ozempic
• Sitagliptin – Januvia

In addition to commonly prescribed medications, technicians should also recognize several high-yield Schedule II controlled substances that are frequently encountered in retail pharmacies and tested on the PTCE.

ADHD

• Amphetamine/Dextroamphetamine – Adderall
• Lisdexamfetamine – Vyvanse
• Methylphenidate – Ritalin

Pain Management

• Hydrocodone/Acetaminophen – Norco, Vicodin
• Oxycodone/Acetaminophen – Percocet

Learning brand to generic drugs can seem overwhelming, especially if you were just given a long list of 200 drugs and told to memorize them. Breaking down the list into sections, learning the suffixes, and simply taking it one drug at a time makes this process seem more achievable. What may be helpful is taking it 5 medications at a time. Depending on how long you plan on studying, you could do 5 new medications a week, or 5 new medications a day. Taking smaller chunks should allow you to retain more of the information.

I hope you found this medication guide helpful. Over the next several weeks, I’ll continue breaking down the major topics you’ll encounter on the PTCB, including pharmacy law, calculations, medication safety, and federal regulations. If you’re just beginning your preparation, I hope you’ll follow along as we work through each topic together. Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you in the next post!