PHARMACOLOGY STUDY GUIDE FOR EMS
PROFESSIONALS INSIDER ACCESS OF 2025/2026
EXAM QUESTIONS WITH 100% SUCCESS RATE
alpha blocker - Medication suffix -zosin (e.g., Prazosin)
beta blocker - Medication suffix -lol (e.g., Labetalol, Metoprolol)
ACE inhibitor - Medication suffix -pril (e.g., Lisinopril)
lipid lowering drug - Medication suffix -statin (e.g., Simvastatin)
thrombolytic - Medication suffix -ase, -plase (e.g., Alteplase)
anticoagulant - Medication suffix -parin (e.g., Heparin)
corticosteroid - Medication suffix -sone (e.g., Methylprednisolone)
penicillin antibiotic - Medication suffix -cillin (e.g., Amoxicillin)
aminoglycoside antibiotic - Medication suffix -micin, -mycin (e.g., Gentamycin)
Pharmacodynamics - The study of how a drug acts on a living organism.
Pharmacology - The science of drugs used to prevent, diagnose, and treat.
,Pharmacokinetics - The study of how the body handles a drug over a period of time, including
the processes of absorption, distribution, biotransformation, and excretion.
Efficacy - Drug's ability to create an action once it has attached itself to a receptor.
Affinity - Drug's desire to attach to a receptor.
Agonist - A drug with both affinity and efficacy that attaches a receptor and causes some effect
to occur.
Antagonist - A drug that inhibits other drugs from attaching to a given receptor site.
Official Name - The name that appears in the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) or the National
Formulary (NF).
Generic Name - Nonproprietary name of a drug, e.g., furosemide.
Trade Name - Proprietary name of a drug, e.g., Lasix.
Pharmacognosy - Natural drug sources of medications.
Plant Sources - Medications derived from plants, e.g., Atropine Sulfate from Atropa Belladona
Plant.
Mineral Sources - Medications derived from minerals, e.g., Sodium Bicarbonate.
Animal Sources - Medications derived from animals, e.g., Insulin from swine and cows.
, Synthetic Sources - Man-made medications, e.g., Lidocaine (Xylocaine).
Pregnancy Category A - Well-controlled studies in humans show no risk to the fetus.
Pregnancy Category B - No well-controlled studies in humans have been conducted; animal
studies show no risk to the fetus.
Pregnancy Category C - No well-controlled studies in humans have been conducted; animal
studies have demonstrated an adverse effect on the fetus.
Pregnancy Category D - Evidence of human risk to the fetus exists; however, benefits may
outweigh the risks in certain situations.
Pregnancy Category X - Controlled studies in animals or humans demonstrate fetal
abnormalities; the risk in pregnancy women clearly outweighs any possible benefit.
Half-Life of a Medication - Time it takes to metabolize or eliminate half the total amount (peak
concentration) of a drug in the body.
Therapeutic Index - Represents the relative safety of a drug determined by Lethal Dose 50
(LD50) and Effective Dose 50 (ED50).
Therapeutic Index Formula - LD50 / ED50; the closer that ratio is to 1, the more dangerous the
drug is.
Absorption - Introduction of a drug into the blood stream (IM, SQ, PO, Inhalation, dermal).
PROFESSIONALS INSIDER ACCESS OF 2025/2026
EXAM QUESTIONS WITH 100% SUCCESS RATE
alpha blocker - Medication suffix -zosin (e.g., Prazosin)
beta blocker - Medication suffix -lol (e.g., Labetalol, Metoprolol)
ACE inhibitor - Medication suffix -pril (e.g., Lisinopril)
lipid lowering drug - Medication suffix -statin (e.g., Simvastatin)
thrombolytic - Medication suffix -ase, -plase (e.g., Alteplase)
anticoagulant - Medication suffix -parin (e.g., Heparin)
corticosteroid - Medication suffix -sone (e.g., Methylprednisolone)
penicillin antibiotic - Medication suffix -cillin (e.g., Amoxicillin)
aminoglycoside antibiotic - Medication suffix -micin, -mycin (e.g., Gentamycin)
Pharmacodynamics - The study of how a drug acts on a living organism.
Pharmacology - The science of drugs used to prevent, diagnose, and treat.
,Pharmacokinetics - The study of how the body handles a drug over a period of time, including
the processes of absorption, distribution, biotransformation, and excretion.
Efficacy - Drug's ability to create an action once it has attached itself to a receptor.
Affinity - Drug's desire to attach to a receptor.
Agonist - A drug with both affinity and efficacy that attaches a receptor and causes some effect
to occur.
Antagonist - A drug that inhibits other drugs from attaching to a given receptor site.
Official Name - The name that appears in the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) or the National
Formulary (NF).
Generic Name - Nonproprietary name of a drug, e.g., furosemide.
Trade Name - Proprietary name of a drug, e.g., Lasix.
Pharmacognosy - Natural drug sources of medications.
Plant Sources - Medications derived from plants, e.g., Atropine Sulfate from Atropa Belladona
Plant.
Mineral Sources - Medications derived from minerals, e.g., Sodium Bicarbonate.
Animal Sources - Medications derived from animals, e.g., Insulin from swine and cows.
, Synthetic Sources - Man-made medications, e.g., Lidocaine (Xylocaine).
Pregnancy Category A - Well-controlled studies in humans show no risk to the fetus.
Pregnancy Category B - No well-controlled studies in humans have been conducted; animal
studies show no risk to the fetus.
Pregnancy Category C - No well-controlled studies in humans have been conducted; animal
studies have demonstrated an adverse effect on the fetus.
Pregnancy Category D - Evidence of human risk to the fetus exists; however, benefits may
outweigh the risks in certain situations.
Pregnancy Category X - Controlled studies in animals or humans demonstrate fetal
abnormalities; the risk in pregnancy women clearly outweighs any possible benefit.
Half-Life of a Medication - Time it takes to metabolize or eliminate half the total amount (peak
concentration) of a drug in the body.
Therapeutic Index - Represents the relative safety of a drug determined by Lethal Dose 50
(LD50) and Effective Dose 50 (ED50).
Therapeutic Index Formula - LD50 / ED50; the closer that ratio is to 1, the more dangerous the
drug is.
Absorption - Introduction of a drug into the blood stream (IM, SQ, PO, Inhalation, dermal).
