Top 200 drugs: set 10

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1. Valium — generic name, drug class, and main use?

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Generic name: diazepam
Brand name: Valium
Drug class: Benzodiazepine (Schedule IV)
Common use: anxiety, muscle spasm, seizures, and alcohol withdrawal
Key safety point: A long-acting C-IV benzo that builds up in older adults; dangerous with opioids or alcohol.

Remember: Diazepam is the long-acting C-IV benzo.

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2. Micardis — generic name, drug class, and main use?

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Generic name: telmisartan
Brand name: Micardis
Drug class: ARB
Common use: high blood pressure
Key safety point: Boxed fetal-toxicity warning; it can raise potassium.

Remember: ARBs: lower cough risk than ACE inhibitors, but cough can still occur.

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3. Tegretol — generic name, drug class, and main use?

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Generic name: carbamazepine
Brand name: Tegretol
Drug class: Anticonvulsant
Common use: seizures and trigeminal neuralgia
Key safety point: Boxed serious skin reactions (higher risk with the HLA-B*1502 gene in patients of Asian ancestry) and blood disorders; it is a strong CYP3A4 INDUCER that weakens many drugs, including birth control.

Remember: Carbamazepine induces enzymes and can lower levels of interacting drugs.

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4. Lotrel — generic name, drug class, and main use?

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Generic name: amlodipine/benazepril
Brand name: Lotrel
Drug class: Calcium channel blocker plus ACE inhibitor combination
Common use: high blood pressure
Key safety point: It combines ankle swelling from amlodipine with cough and high potassium from benazepril; boxed fetal-toxicity warning.

Remember: Lotrel = Norvasc plus Lotensin in one capsule.

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5. Lithobid — generic name, drug class, and main use?

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Generic name: lithium
Brand name: Lithobid
Drug class: Mood stabilizer
Common use: bipolar disorder
Key safety point: Narrow therapeutic index with a boxed toxicity warning — blood levels are monitored, and dehydration, low salt, or NSAIDs push levels up.

Remember: Lithium: keep the levels, the water, and the salt steady.

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6. Repatha — generic name, drug class, and main use?

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Generic name: evolocumab
Brand name: Repatha
Drug class: PCSK9-inhibitor biologic
Common use: high cholesterol when a statin is not enough
Key safety point: Self-injected every two weeks or monthly; refrigerated; injection-site reactions.

Remember: Repatha is the fridge injection for stubborn LDL.

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7. Pristiq — generic name, drug class, and main use?

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Generic name: desvenlafaxine
Brand name: Pristiq
Drug class: SNRI
Common use: depression
Key safety point: The active metabolite of venlafaxine; it raises blood pressure, must be tapered, and the tablet is swallowed whole.

Remember: Pristiq is desvenlafaxine, venlafaxine's major active metabolite.

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8. Trusopt — generic name, drug class, and main use?

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Generic name: dorzolamide
Brand name: Trusopt
Drug class: Carbonic anhydrase inhibitor eye drop
Common use: glaucoma
Key safety point: It contains a sulfonamide; a bitter taste after instilling is common; wait five minutes between different eye drops.

Remember: Dorzolamide is a sulfa drop — space the drops out.

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9. Bystolic — generic name, drug class, and main use?

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Generic name: nebivolol
Brand name: Bystolic
Drug class: Cardioselective beta blocker
Common use: high blood pressure
Key safety point: It slows the heart while also relaxing vessels; it is never stopped abruptly.

Remember: Nebivolol is a beta blocker; do not stop it abruptly without prescriber guidance.

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10. Bentyl — generic name, drug class, and main use?

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Generic name: dicyclomine
Brand name: Bentyl
Drug class: Anticholinergic antispasmodic
Common use: cramping in irritable bowel syndrome
Key safety point: Dry mouth, blurred vision, and confusion in older adults; it is not given to infants.

Remember: Bentyl quiets the gut and dries the mouth.

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11. Demadex — generic name, drug class, and main use?

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Generic name: torsemide
Brand name: Demadex
Drug class: Loop diuretic
Common use: fluid overload and heart failure
Key safety point: Excess diuresis can cause dehydration, hypotension, and electrolyte disturbances, including low potassium.

Remember: Torsemide removes fluid; check volume and electrolytes.

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12. Arimidex — generic name, drug class, and main use?

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Generic name: anastrozole
Brand name: Arimidex
Drug class: Aromatase inhibitor
Common use: hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer after menopause
Key safety point: Joint symptoms and reduced bone mineral density can occur; the breast-cancer indications on this label are for postmenopausal women.

Remember: Anastrozole starves estrogen-fed breast cancer.

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13. Vasotec — generic name, drug class, and main use?

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Generic name: enalapril
Brand name: Vasotec
Drug class: ACE inhibitor
Common use: high blood pressure and heart failure
Key safety point: Dry cough, high potassium, and a boxed fetal-toxicity warning.

Remember: Enalapril: the -pril rules never change.

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14. Miralax — generic name, drug class, and main use?

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Generic name: polyethylene glycol 3350
Brand name: Miralax
Drug class: Osmotic laxative
Common use: occasional constipation
Key safety point: Mix one capful in 4 to 8 ounces of liquid; it works in one to three days; OTC use is limited to seven days.

Remember: Miralax pulls water in — days, not minutes.

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15. Retin-A — generic name, drug class, and main use?

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Generic name: tretinoin (topical)
Brand name: Retin-A
Drug class: Topical retinoid
Common use: acne
Key safety point: A pea-sized amount at night; expect dryness and sun sensitivity; avoided in pregnancy.

Remember: Retin-A at night, sunscreen by day.

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16. Cialis / Adcirca — generic name, drug class, and main use?

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Generic name: tadalafil
Brand name: Cialis / Adcirca
Drug class: PDE-5 inhibitor
Common use: erectile dysfunction and an enlarged prostate (Cialis), pulmonary hypertension (Adcirca)
Key safety point: Cialis can improve erectile function for up to 36 hours after a dose; nitrates are contraindicated.

Remember: Tadalafil: effects can last up to 36 hours; never combine with nitrates.

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17. Entresto — generic name, drug class, and main use?

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Generic name: sacubitril/valsartan
Brand name: Entresto
Drug class: ARNI (neprilysin inhibitor plus ARB)
Common use: chronic heart failure
Key safety point: Boxed fetal-toxicity warning, and it must NOT be given within 36 hours of an ACE inhibitor because of angioedema risk.

Remember: Entresto needs a 36-hour gap after any -pril.

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18. Tums / Oscal — generic name, drug class, and main use?

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Generic name: calcium carbonate
Brand name: Tums / Oscal
Drug class: Calcium supplement and antacid
Common use: heartburn, low calcium, and bone health
Key safety point: Take with food for absorption, expect constipation, and separate it by several hours from levothyroxine and certain antibiotics.

Remember: Calcium blocks other drugs — space it out.

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19. Mirapex — generic name, drug class, and main use?

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Generic name: pramipexole
Brand name: Mirapex
Drug class: Dopamine agonist
Common use: Parkinson's disease and restless legs syndrome
Key safety point: Sudden sleep attacks and impulse-control problems such as gambling or shopping — patients are warned up front.

Remember: Dopamine agonists can trigger sudden sleep and urges.

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20. Lialda / Apriso — generic name, drug class, and main use?

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Generic name: mesalamine
Brand name: Lialda / Apriso
Drug class: 5-aminosalicylate anti-inflammatory
Common use: ulcerative colitis
Key safety point: Delayed-release tablets are never crushed and the intact shell may appear in the stool; kidney function is monitored.

Remember: Mesalamine works in the bowel wall — swallow it whole.

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