Top 200 drugs: set 7

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

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Generic name: testosterone
Brand name: AndroGel
Drug class: Androgen (Schedule III)
Common use: low testosterone in men
Key safety point: C-III; the topical gel transfers by skin contact and carries a boxed warning about exposing children and partners — cover the site. Dispensing note: Depo-Testosterone (testosterone cypionate injection) is also C-III, but the skin-transfer boxed warning belongs to the topical gels only.

Remember: Testosterone gel transfers by touch — cover it up.

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

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Generic name: nifedipine
Brand name: Procardia XL
Drug class: Dihydropyridine calcium channel blocker
Common use: high blood pressure and angina
Key safety point: Extended-release tablets must not be crushed; an empty tablet shell can appear in stool. Peripheral edema can occur.

Remember: Nifedipine's ghost shell in the stool is harmless.

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

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Generic name: methocarbamol
Brand name: Robaxin
Drug class: Skeletal muscle relaxant
Common use: muscle spasm
Key safety point: Drowsiness; urine may turn brown, black, or green, which is harmless but alarming.

Remember: Robaxin relaxes; the odd urine color is harmless.

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

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Generic name: benzonatate
Brand name: Tessalon Perles
Drug class: Non-narcotic antitussive
Common use: cough
Key safety point: Swallow the capsule WHOLE — chewing or breaking it numbs the mouth and throat and risks choking; keep it away from children, because accidental ingestion of found capsules has been fatal in children under 10.

Remember: Tessalon: swallow whole, never chew.

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

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Generic name: sitagliptin
Brand name: Januvia
Drug class: DPP-4 inhibitor
Common use: type 2 diabetes
Key safety point: Weight-neutral and rarely causes lows on its own; joint pain and pancreatitis are reported; the dose is lowered in kidney disease.

Remember: -gliptin = DPP-4, the quiet diabetes pill.

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

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Generic name: chlorthalidone
Brand name: Thalitone
Drug class: Thiazide-LIKE diuretic
Common use: high blood pressure
Key safety point: Longer-acting than hydrochlorothiazide; watch for low potassium and low sodium.

Remember: Chlorthalidone is the long-acting thiazide cousin.

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

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Generic name: isosorbide mononitrate
Brand name: Imdur
Drug class: Nitrate vasodilator
Common use: preventing angina
Key safety point: Headache is expected; NEVER combine with sildenafil or tadalafil — blood pressure can crash. Dispensing note: The Imdur brand is discontinued in the U.S. — the drug is dispensed as generic isosorbide mononitrate extended-release.

Remember: Nitrates plus ED drugs equal a dangerous pressure drop.

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

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Generic name: donepezil
Brand name: Aricept
Drug class: Cholinesterase inhibitor
Common use: Alzheimer's dementia
Key safety point: It slows symptoms without curing them; nausea, diarrhea, and a slow heart rate; usually dosed at bedtime.

Remember: Donepezil treats symptoms; it has not been shown to change the underlying dementia process.

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

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Generic name: dexmethylphenidate
Brand name: Focalin
Drug class: CNS stimulant (Schedule II)
Common use: ADHD
Key safety point: C-II with no refills; it is the active half of methylphenidate, so doses are about half as large.

Remember: Focalin = the focused half of methylphenidate.

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10. Temovate / Clobex — generic name, drug class, and main use?

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Generic name: clobetasol
Brand name: Temovate / Clobex
Drug class: Super-high-potency topical corticosteroid
Common use: severe plaque psoriasis and other corticosteroid-responsive skin conditions
Key safety point: Limited to about two weeks; not for the face, groin, or underarms; it can thin skin and suppress the adrenal glands.

Remember: Clobetasol is the strongest class — short courses only.

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11. Trexall / Otrexup — generic name, drug class, and main use?

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Generic name: methotrexate
Brand name: Trexall / Otrexup
Drug class: Antimetabolite and DMARD
Common use: rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and some cancers
Key safety point: For arthritis it is dosed ONCE WEEKLY — daily dosing has killed patients; folic acid is co-prescribed; boxed toxicity warnings.

Remember: Methotrexate for arthritis or psoriasis is generally weekly; verify the indication and schedule.

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

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Generic name: hydroxychloroquine
Brand name: Plaquenil
Drug class: Antimalarial and DMARD
Common use: lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and malaria
Key safety point: Retinal toxicity can be irreversible. The label recommends a baseline eye examination within the first year, with annual monitoring for higher-risk patients; lower-risk annual screening can usually wait until five years.

Remember: Hydroxychloroquine requires baseline and risk-based eye monitoring.

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13. Mevacor / Altoprev — generic name, drug class, and main use?

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Generic name: lovastatin
Brand name: Mevacor / Altoprev
Drug class: Statin
Common use: high cholesterol
Key safety point: Immediate-release Mevacor is taken with the evening meal, while extended-release Altoprev is taken at bedtime preferably WITHOUT food; grapefruit juice raises levels and muscle pain is the class risk.

Remember: Lovastatin doses in the evening — and hates grapefruit.

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

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Generic name: pioglitazone
Brand name: Actos
Drug class: Thiazolidinedione
Common use: type 2 diabetes
Key safety point: Boxed warning — it can cause or worsen heart failure; watch for swelling and sudden weight gain.

Remember: -glitazone holds fluid — heart failure is the box.

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15. Avapro — generic name, drug class, and main use?

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Generic name: irbesartan
Brand name: Avapro
Drug class: ARB
Common use: high blood pressure and diabetic kidney disease
Key safety point: Boxed fetal-toxicity warning; it can raise potassium.

Remember: Irbesartan: a -sartan for pressure and kidneys.

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16. Medrol Dosepak — generic name, drug class, and main use?

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Generic name: methylprednisolone
Brand name: Medrol Dosepak
Drug class: Oral corticosteroid
Common use: short courses for inflammation and flares
Key safety point: The Dosepak is a stepped-down six-day taper — the printed schedule must be followed exactly.

Remember: Medrol Dosepak counts down: six, five, four, three, two, one.

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17. Camila / Ortho Micronor — generic name, drug class, and main use?

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Generic name: norethindrone
Brand name: Camila / Ortho Micronor
Drug class: Progestin-only mini-pill contraceptive
Common use: pregnancy prevention, including while breastfeeding
Key safety point: Take at the same time daily. A dose more than three hours late requires the product-specific missed-dose and backup-contraception instructions.

Remember: Mini-pill = progestin only, same time every day.

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18. Antivert — generic name, drug class, and main use?

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Generic name: meclizine
Brand name: Antivert
Drug class: Antihistamine
Common use: vestibular vertigo; some meclizine products are labeled for motion sickness
Key safety point: Drowsiness and anticholinergic effects can occur; follow the specific product directions.

Remember: Meclizine: verify the product and watch for drowsiness.

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

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Generic name: ethinyl estradiol/levonorgestrel
Brand name: Aviane
Drug class: Combined oral contraceptive
Common use: pregnancy prevention
Key safety point: Same boxed clot warning for smokers over 35; the final week of differently-colored tablets is placebo, not hormone.

Remember: The last row of the pack is placebo, not medicine.

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20. Breo Ellipta — generic name, drug class, and main use?

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Generic name: fluticasone/vilanterol
Brand name: Breo Ellipta
Drug class: Inhaled corticosteroid plus LABA combination
Common use: asthma and COPD maintenance
Key safety point: Once daily, maintenance only, never a rescue inhaler; rinse the mouth afterward.

Remember: Breo = once-daily maintenance, never rescue.

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