Pharmacy Technician Mnemonics: 12 Memory Tricks for the PTCE

Cardiovascular drug suffixes

“PRIL, SARTAN, OLOL, DIPINE, STATIN”

1. -prilACE inhibitors: lisinopril, enalapril, benazepril - dry cough, angioedema, high potassium
2. -sartanAngiotensin II receptor blockers: losartan, valsartan, olmesartan
3. -ololBeta blockers: metoprolol, atenolol, propranolol
4. -dipineDihydropyridine calcium channel blockers: amlodipine, nifedipine - ankle edema
5. -statinHMG-CoA reductase inhibitors: atorvastatin, simvastatin, rosuvastatin - muscle pain

Use it when: When an item names a generic drug you have not memorized and asks its class or indication.

Careful: Not every beta blocker ends in -olol (carvedilol and labetalol end in -lol). Diltiazem and verapamil are calcium channel blockers without the -dipine ending. Do not confuse -sartan (ARB) with -triptan (migraine).

GI and diabetes drug suffixes

“PRAZOLE, TIDINE, GLIPTIN, GLIFLOZIN, GLUTIDE”

1. -prazoleProton pump inhibitors: omeprazole, pantoprazole, esomeprazole
2. -tidineH2 blockers: famotidine, cimetidine
3. -gliptinDPP-4 inhibitors: sitagliptin, linagliptin
4. -gliflozinSGLT2 inhibitors: empagliflozin, dapagliflozin - urinary and genital infections
5. -glutide / -tideGLP-1 receptor agonists: liraglutide, dulaglutide, semaglutide - injectable or oral

Use it when: When a stem gives a generic name and asks for the class, or asks which two drugs are therapeutic duplicates.

Careful: -azole alone is not a PPI: fluconazole and ketoconazole are antifungals and metronidazole is an antibiotic. Tirzepatide ends in -tide but acts on both GIP and GLP-1 receptors.

Anti-infective suffixes

“CILLIN, CEF, CYCLINE, FLOXACIN, MYCIN, VIR”

1. -cillinPenicillins: amoxicillin, ampicillin - check penicillin allergy
2. cef- / ceph-Cephalosporins: cephalexin, cefdinir, ceftriaxone
3. -cyclineTetracyclines: doxycycline, minocycline - generally avoided in pregnancy and under age 8 (short doxycycline courses are an exception); separate from dairy, antacids and iron
4. -floxacinFluoroquinolones: ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin - tendon rupture warning; separate from antacids and minerals
5. -mycin / -micinMacrolides (azithromycin, clarithromycin, erythromycin) and aminoglycosides (gentamicin, tobramycin)
6. -virAntivirals: acyclovir, valacyclovir, oseltamivir

Use it when: When an item asks the class of an antibiotic, a key counseling point, or which product a penicillin-allergic patient should not get.

Careful: -mycin covers more than one class: clindamycin is a lincosamide and vancomycin a glycopeptide. -cillin and cef- drugs are both beta-lactams, so allergy questions often pair them.

DEA schedules and refills

“I: never. II: no refills. III-IV: 5 in 6. V: as written.”

1. INo accepted US medical use, research only: heroin, LSD
2. IIHigh abuse potential: oxycodone, fentanyl, morphine, hydrocodone combinations, methylphenidate, amphetamine - no refills; oral orders only in emergencies
3. IIIBuprenorphine, testosterone and anabolic steroids, ketamine, acetaminophen/codeine tablets - up to 5 refills within 6 months
4. IVBenzodiazepines, zolpidem, tramadol, carisoprodol, phenobarbital - same 5-in-6 rule
5. VCodeine cough syrups, pregabalin, lacosamide, diphenoxylate/atropine - refills as the prescriber authorizes

Use it when: When a stem names a drug and asks whether it can be refilled, phoned in or transferred.

Careful: Hydrocodone combinations moved to C-II and tramadol to C-IV in 2014; old study guides still list them in III and unscheduled. The 6 months count from the date written. Since August 28, 2023, an electronic C-II to C-V prescription may be transferred once for its initial fill at the patient's request.

DEA forms

“Order 222, Lose 106, Destroy 41, Register 224”

1. 222Order or transfer Schedule I-II drugs (CSOS is the electronic equivalent); issued by the registrant receiving the drugs
2. 106Report theft or significant loss: notify the DEA field office in writing within 1 business day, file Form 106 online within 45 days
3. 41Record controlled substances destroyed or surrendered for destruction
4. 224Register a retail pharmacy with the DEA; renewal (224a) every 3 years

Use it when: When a stem describes a C-II order, a break-in, expired stock or opening a pharmacy and asks which form applies.

Careful: Returning C-IIs to a reverse distributor still needs a 222, issued by the reverse distributor because it is the receiver. Form 106 is for theft or significant loss, not routine breakage or planned destruction (that goes on Form 41).

FDA recall classes

“One kills, Two ills, Three spills”

1. IReasonable probability of serious adverse health consequences or death - most urgent
2. IIMay cause temporary or medically reversible harm; serious harm is remote
3. IIINot likely to cause adverse health consequences, e.g. a labeling or packaging defect

Use it when: When a stem describes a recalled product and asks its class or how urgently to act.

Careful: The numbering runs opposite to severity scales people expect - Class I is the most serious. A market withdrawal (minor problem not subject to FDA action) is not a recall class.

The Joint Commission 'Do Not Use' list

“No U, no IU, no QD, no QOD, no naked decimals, no MS”

1. UWrite 'unit' - U is misread as 0, 4 or cc
2. IUWrite 'International Unit' - misread as IV or 10
3. QDWrite 'daily' - confused with QOD
4. QODWrite 'every other day' - confused with QD or QID
5. X.0 / .XNo trailing zero (5 mg, not 5.0 mg); always a leading zero (0.5 mg, not .5 mg)
6. MSWrite 'morphine sulfate' or 'magnesium sulfate' - MS, MSO4 and MgSO4 are confused

Use it when: When a stem shows an order and asks which notation is unsafe or how it should be written.

Careful: The ISMP list is longer and also discourages cc, ug, SC/SQ, HS, D/C, AD/AS/AU and OD/OS/OU. Trailing zeros are acceptable only where precision must be shown, such as lab values or device sizes - never in a medication order.

High-alert medications

“PINCH”

1. PPotassium and other concentrated electrolytes
2. IInsulin
3. NNarcotics (opioids)
4. CChemotherapy, including oral methotrexate for non-cancer use
5. HHeparin and other anticoagulants

Use it when: When a stem asks which drug needs an independent double check or extra safeguards.

Careful: PINCH is a starting set, not the full ISMP list, which also includes neuromuscular blockers, IV sedation agents and oral hypoglycemics in some settings. Oral methotrexate dosed daily instead of weekly is a classic fatal error the exam likes.

USP compounding chapters

“795 non-sterile, 797 sterile, 800 hazardous”

1. 795Non-sterile compounding: creams, oral suspensions, capsules
2. 797Sterile compounding: IV admixtures, injectables, ophthalmics - cleanroom, garbing, environmental monitoring
3. 800Hazardous drugs: receipt, storage, compounding and disposal of NIOSH-listed drugs, both sterile and non-sterile

Use it when: When a stem describes a compounding task or a hazardous drug and asks which standard applies.

Careful: The revised 795 and 797 took effect November 1, 2023: 797 now uses Category 1, 2 and 3 compounded sterile preparations instead of low-, medium- and high-risk levels. An 800-listed drug compounded sterile must meet both 797 and 800. USP <825> covers radiopharmaceuticals.

Alligation (mixing two strengths)

“Cross and subtract: the difference opposite is your parts”

Put the higher strength top left, the lower bottom left and the wanted strength in the middle. Subtract diagonally, ignoring signs: parts of higher = wanted minus lower; parts of lower = higher minus wanted. Example: to make 15% from 20% and 5%, use 10 parts of 20% and 5 parts of 5% (15 parts total). For 300 g, that is 200 g of 20% and 100 g of 5%.

Use it when: When a stem gives two stock strengths and a target strength and asks how much of each to mix.

Careful: The wanted strength must lie between the two stocks. A diluent such as water or petrolatum counts as 0%. Divide the total by the number of parts before multiplying, and check the answer adds back to the total.

NDC number

“Who, What, How many”

1. WhoLabeler segment: the manufacturer, repackager or distributor
2. WhatProduct segment: drug, strength and dosage form
3. How manyPackage segment: package size and type

Use it when: When a stem shows an NDC and asks which segment identifies the manufacturer, strength or package size, or why a refill bottle differs.

Careful: The current NDC is 10 digits in 4-4-2, 5-3-2 or 5-4-1 format, and billing systems pad it to 11 digits (5-4-2) by adding a leading zero to the short segment. FDA has proposed moving to a uniform 12-digit NDC, so check the format your outline expects.

Sig code frequencies

“B-T-Q counts the bids: 2, 3, 4”

1. bidTwice a day
2. tidThree times a day
3. qidFour times a day
4. q6hEvery 6 hours = 4 doses in 24 hours (q4h = 6, q8h = 3, q12h = 2)
5. ac / pc / hsBefore meals / after meals / at bedtime - timing, not extra doses

Use it when: When a stem gives a sig and asks the daily dose, the quantity to dispense or the days supply.

Careful: Divide 24 by the hour interval to get doses per day. qd and qod are on the Do Not Use list, and ISMP flags hs because it can mean half-strength. 'ac and hs' with qid still means four doses, not five.