WIZMEDTECH
NCLEX-READY STUDY GUIDE
Pharmacology
Study Guide & Notes
The Exam 2 Decoder — built for your class exam and the NCLEX.
✓ High-yield tables ✓ Mnemonics ✓ NCLEX practice + rationales
COURSE SUBJECT COVERAGE
GNUR 294 Pharmacology Exam 2
, Copyright & Disclaimer
Copyright & Disclaimer
Pharmacology Study Guide & Notes — GNUR 294, Exam 2 The Exam 2 Decoder — built for your class
exam and the NCLEX.
Published by WizMedTech. © WizMedTech. All rights reserved.
◆ ABOUT THIS STUDY GUIDE
This study guide is an original educational work. It was created by independently studying foundational pharmacology
course material, extracting the core concepts, and rebuilding them into a new resource with original explanations,
organization, tables, analogies, mnemonics, and practice questions. It is not a copy or reproduction of any textbook,
lecture handout, or proprietary course document, and it is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any
university, nursing program, the NCLEX®, or the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN®).
⚠ MEDICAL & EDUCATIONAL DISCLAIMER — PLEASE READ
This guide is intended for educational and exam-preparation purposes only. It is a study aid — not a clinical
reference, prescribing guide, or substitute for your textbook, course faculty, institutional protocols, or the advice of a
licensed healthcare professional. Drug therapy changes constantly, and dosing is intentionally minimized here in favor
of concepts. Nothing in this guide should be used to treat, diagnose, or manage an actual patient. Always verify
medications against a current, authoritative drug reference and your facility’s policies before clinical use.
Trademarks (e.g., brand drug names, NCLEX®, NCSBN®) belong to their respective owners and are used only
for identification and educational commentary. Unauthorized resale or redistribution of this file is prohibited.
How to Use This Guide
Welcome. You are holding a concept-first pharmacology guide. The single biggest mistake students make in
cardiovascular and autonomic pharmacology is trying to memorize forty drugs as forty separate flashcards. That
path leads to exam-day blur. This guide flips the strategy: you will learn a small set of receptors and pumps,
and then watch the drugs fall into place as predictable agonists (“turn it on”) and antagonists (“turn it off”).
Here is how to get the most out of it.
Work in three passes. On your first pass, read each chapter straight through for the story — how the system
works and why each drug class exists. On your second pass, drill the high-yield tables and the drug cards until
you can cover the right-hand column and recite it. On your third pass (the night before), read only the Rapid-
Review Cram Sheet and re-test yourself with the NCLEX questions.
Use the callout boxes as signals. They are color-coded so your eye learns where the points live:
★ HIGH-YIELD
The fact your instructor is most likely to test. If you remember nothing else from a section, remember these.
◆ MUST KNOW
A core definition or mechanism that everything else is built on. Lock it in before moving forward.
WizMedTech ·Pharmacology Study Guide Exam 2 ·GNUR 294 | 2
, Table of Contents
⚠ COMMON EXAM TRAP
The “looks right but isn’t” answer choice. We show you the trap before the test does.
✚ CLINICAL CONNECTION
How the concept shows up at the bedside — the patient, the assessment, the priority action.
⚛ MEMORY SHORTCUT
A mnemonic, analogy, or pattern that makes the fact stick.
↻ WATCH OUT — COMMON CONFUSION
Two ideas students routinely swap. We separate them cleanly so you don’t lose easy points.
✚ NURSING & SAFETY ALERT
Assessment, monitoring, antidotes, and “hold the dose” rules — the safety net of every NCLEX question.
Read the drug cards as tables. Each prototype drug gets a compact card. The top bar names the drug and its
class; the rows below give mechanism, uses, adverse effects, contraindications, and the nursing priorities.
Cover the right column and quiz yourself.
Trust the arrows. Throughout, ↑ means increases and ↓ means decreases. In cardiovascular pharmacology,
almost every answer comes down to which direction a drug pushes heart rate, blood pressure, preload, or
afterload.
Table of Contents
FOUNDATIONS
Chapter 1 · The Autonomic Nervous System & Receptor Map 6
Chapter 2 · Cardiac Anatomy, Conduction & the Three “-Tropic” Effects 9
DRUGS THAT ACT ON THE AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM
Chapter 3 · Cholinergic & Anticholinergic Drugs 13
Chapter 4 · Adrenergic Agonists (Sympathomimetics) 16
Chapter 5 · Alpha & Beta Blockers 20
BLOOD PRESSURE & THE RAAS
Chapter 6 · ACE Inhibitors & ARBs 24
Chapter 7 · Calcium Channel Blockers 27
Chapter 8 · Diuretics, Direct Vasodilators & ED Drugs 29
Chapter 9 · Putting It Together — The Hypertension Game Plan 32
THE ISCHEMIC & FAILING HEART
Chapter 10 · Antianginal Drugs & Nitrates 35
Chapter 11 · Heart Failure & Digoxin 37
WizMedTech ·Pharmacology Study Guide Exam 2 ·GNUR 294 | 3
, Learning Objectives
LIPIDS
Chapter 12 · Lipid-Lowering Drugs 41
REVIEW & MASTERY
Master Drug Reference Tables 45
Rapid-Review Cram Sheet 48
NCLEX-Style Practice Questions 49
Answer Key with Rationales 60
Glossary of Key Terms 67
Quality-Control Checklist 68
Suggested References & Further Study 69
Learning Objectives
By the end of this unit you should be able to confidently do each of the following. Treat this as a self-test
checklist — if you can’t yet do one, you know where to focus.
1. Diagram the autonomic nervous system and match 7. Distinguish dihydropyridine from non-dihydropyridine
each receptor (alpha-1, alpha-2, beta-1, beta-2, calcium channel blockers.
muscarinic, nicotinic) to its location and response.
8. Select appropriate first-line antihypertensive therapy
2. Predict the effects of an agonist versus an antagonist at and recognize when to combine agents.
any autonomic receptor.
9. Explain nitrate therapy for angina, including tolerance
3. Compare cholinergic and anticholinergic drugs, prevention and the PDE-5 inhibitor interaction.
including prototypes, uses, and the classic anticholinergic
toxidrome.
10. Apply digoxin safety rules — therapeutic range, the
apical-pulse hold parameter, toxicity signs, and the
4. Differentiate the adrenergic agonists (epinephrine, antidote.
norepinephrine, dopamine, phenylephrine, dobutamine,
clonidine) by receptor activity and use.
11. Compare the lipid-lowering drug classes and the
monitoring each requires.
5. Explain how alpha blockers and beta blockers lower
blood pressure, and identify their key cautions.
12. Answer NCLEX-style questions on autonomic and
cardiovascular pharmacology with sound clinical
6. Describe the RAAS and how ACE inhibitors and ARBs reasoning.
interrupt it, including the cough/angioedema distinction.
WizMedTech ·Pharmacology Study Guide Exam 2 ·GNUR 294 | 4
NCLEX-READY STUDY GUIDE
Pharmacology
Study Guide & Notes
The Exam 2 Decoder — built for your class exam and the NCLEX.
✓ High-yield tables ✓ Mnemonics ✓ NCLEX practice + rationales
COURSE SUBJECT COVERAGE
GNUR 294 Pharmacology Exam 2
, Copyright & Disclaimer
Copyright & Disclaimer
Pharmacology Study Guide & Notes — GNUR 294, Exam 2 The Exam 2 Decoder — built for your class
exam and the NCLEX.
Published by WizMedTech. © WizMedTech. All rights reserved.
◆ ABOUT THIS STUDY GUIDE
This study guide is an original educational work. It was created by independently studying foundational pharmacology
course material, extracting the core concepts, and rebuilding them into a new resource with original explanations,
organization, tables, analogies, mnemonics, and practice questions. It is not a copy or reproduction of any textbook,
lecture handout, or proprietary course document, and it is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any
university, nursing program, the NCLEX®, or the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN®).
⚠ MEDICAL & EDUCATIONAL DISCLAIMER — PLEASE READ
This guide is intended for educational and exam-preparation purposes only. It is a study aid — not a clinical
reference, prescribing guide, or substitute for your textbook, course faculty, institutional protocols, or the advice of a
licensed healthcare professional. Drug therapy changes constantly, and dosing is intentionally minimized here in favor
of concepts. Nothing in this guide should be used to treat, diagnose, or manage an actual patient. Always verify
medications against a current, authoritative drug reference and your facility’s policies before clinical use.
Trademarks (e.g., brand drug names, NCLEX®, NCSBN®) belong to their respective owners and are used only
for identification and educational commentary. Unauthorized resale or redistribution of this file is prohibited.
How to Use This Guide
Welcome. You are holding a concept-first pharmacology guide. The single biggest mistake students make in
cardiovascular and autonomic pharmacology is trying to memorize forty drugs as forty separate flashcards. That
path leads to exam-day blur. This guide flips the strategy: you will learn a small set of receptors and pumps,
and then watch the drugs fall into place as predictable agonists (“turn it on”) and antagonists (“turn it off”).
Here is how to get the most out of it.
Work in three passes. On your first pass, read each chapter straight through for the story — how the system
works and why each drug class exists. On your second pass, drill the high-yield tables and the drug cards until
you can cover the right-hand column and recite it. On your third pass (the night before), read only the Rapid-
Review Cram Sheet and re-test yourself with the NCLEX questions.
Use the callout boxes as signals. They are color-coded so your eye learns where the points live:
★ HIGH-YIELD
The fact your instructor is most likely to test. If you remember nothing else from a section, remember these.
◆ MUST KNOW
A core definition or mechanism that everything else is built on. Lock it in before moving forward.
WizMedTech ·Pharmacology Study Guide Exam 2 ·GNUR 294 | 2
, Table of Contents
⚠ COMMON EXAM TRAP
The “looks right but isn’t” answer choice. We show you the trap before the test does.
✚ CLINICAL CONNECTION
How the concept shows up at the bedside — the patient, the assessment, the priority action.
⚛ MEMORY SHORTCUT
A mnemonic, analogy, or pattern that makes the fact stick.
↻ WATCH OUT — COMMON CONFUSION
Two ideas students routinely swap. We separate them cleanly so you don’t lose easy points.
✚ NURSING & SAFETY ALERT
Assessment, monitoring, antidotes, and “hold the dose” rules — the safety net of every NCLEX question.
Read the drug cards as tables. Each prototype drug gets a compact card. The top bar names the drug and its
class; the rows below give mechanism, uses, adverse effects, contraindications, and the nursing priorities.
Cover the right column and quiz yourself.
Trust the arrows. Throughout, ↑ means increases and ↓ means decreases. In cardiovascular pharmacology,
almost every answer comes down to which direction a drug pushes heart rate, blood pressure, preload, or
afterload.
Table of Contents
FOUNDATIONS
Chapter 1 · The Autonomic Nervous System & Receptor Map 6
Chapter 2 · Cardiac Anatomy, Conduction & the Three “-Tropic” Effects 9
DRUGS THAT ACT ON THE AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM
Chapter 3 · Cholinergic & Anticholinergic Drugs 13
Chapter 4 · Adrenergic Agonists (Sympathomimetics) 16
Chapter 5 · Alpha & Beta Blockers 20
BLOOD PRESSURE & THE RAAS
Chapter 6 · ACE Inhibitors & ARBs 24
Chapter 7 · Calcium Channel Blockers 27
Chapter 8 · Diuretics, Direct Vasodilators & ED Drugs 29
Chapter 9 · Putting It Together — The Hypertension Game Plan 32
THE ISCHEMIC & FAILING HEART
Chapter 10 · Antianginal Drugs & Nitrates 35
Chapter 11 · Heart Failure & Digoxin 37
WizMedTech ·Pharmacology Study Guide Exam 2 ·GNUR 294 | 3
, Learning Objectives
LIPIDS
Chapter 12 · Lipid-Lowering Drugs 41
REVIEW & MASTERY
Master Drug Reference Tables 45
Rapid-Review Cram Sheet 48
NCLEX-Style Practice Questions 49
Answer Key with Rationales 60
Glossary of Key Terms 67
Quality-Control Checklist 68
Suggested References & Further Study 69
Learning Objectives
By the end of this unit you should be able to confidently do each of the following. Treat this as a self-test
checklist — if you can’t yet do one, you know where to focus.
1. Diagram the autonomic nervous system and match 7. Distinguish dihydropyridine from non-dihydropyridine
each receptor (alpha-1, alpha-2, beta-1, beta-2, calcium channel blockers.
muscarinic, nicotinic) to its location and response.
8. Select appropriate first-line antihypertensive therapy
2. Predict the effects of an agonist versus an antagonist at and recognize when to combine agents.
any autonomic receptor.
9. Explain nitrate therapy for angina, including tolerance
3. Compare cholinergic and anticholinergic drugs, prevention and the PDE-5 inhibitor interaction.
including prototypes, uses, and the classic anticholinergic
toxidrome.
10. Apply digoxin safety rules — therapeutic range, the
apical-pulse hold parameter, toxicity signs, and the
4. Differentiate the adrenergic agonists (epinephrine, antidote.
norepinephrine, dopamine, phenylephrine, dobutamine,
clonidine) by receptor activity and use.
11. Compare the lipid-lowering drug classes and the
monitoring each requires.
5. Explain how alpha blockers and beta blockers lower
blood pressure, and identify their key cautions.
12. Answer NCLEX-style questions on autonomic and
cardiovascular pharmacology with sound clinical
6. Describe the RAAS and how ACE inhibitors and ARBs reasoning.
interrupt it, including the cough/angioedema distinction.
WizMedTech ·Pharmacology Study Guide Exam 2 ·GNUR 294 | 4
