Drug name suffixes: what the ending tells you
Many generic names carry their class in the stem. Learn the ending once and you know the mechanism of every drug that shares it.
| Stem | What it means | Drugs here |
|---|---|---|
| -STATIN | Every -STATIN brings cholesterol production to a STANDSTILL. The stem is the whole message: -statin means HMG-CoA reductase is blocked, so the liver makes less cholesterol and pulls LDL out of the blood to make up the difference. Learn the suffix once and every member here is the same mechanism at a different strength. | Atorvastatin, Simvastatin, Rosuvastatin, Pravastatin |
| -SONE / -ONIDE | A -SONE or -ONIDE name is a STEROID calming the inflammation. Prednisone, fluticasone, budesonide — the stem marks a corticosteroid. Inhaled and topical ones act where they land and must be taken daily to work at all; swallowed ones act everywhere, and the side effects scale with how systemic the route is. | Budesonide |
| -PRAZOLE | Every -PRAZOLE shuts off the acid PUMP itself. The stem marks a proton pump inhibitor: it disables the gastric H+/K+ ATPase, the final common step of acid secretion whatever the trigger. That is why it beats an H2 blocker, which only removes one signal upstream. All of them work best 30 to 60 minutes before the first meal. | Omeprazole, Pantoprazole |
| GLI- / GLY- | A GLI- or GLY- name SQUEEZES insulin out — hungry or not. These close the beta cell's potassium channel directly, releasing insulin whatever the blood sugar is doing. Glucose-independent is the phrase to hold on to: it is exactly why this class causes hypoglycaemia and weight gain, and why metformin does not. | Glipizide, Glyburide, Glimepiride |
| -ZOLAM / -AZEPAM | A -ZOLAM or -AZEPAM name turns up the brain's own brake. The stem marks a benzodiazepine: it makes GABA, the brain's main inhibitory signal, more effective. Fast relief of anxiety — and tolerance, dependence and a hard withdrawal if it runs past a few weeks. Flumazenil is the reversal agent. | Alprazolam |
| -FLOXACIN | A -FLOXACIN unwinds bacterial DNA — and goes after your tendons. The stem marks a fluoroquinolone, blocking DNA gyrase so the bacterium cannot copy itself. The class warning travels with the stem too: tendon rupture, aortic aneurysm, nerve damage and QT prolongation, which is why these are no longer first choice for a simple infection. | Ciprofloxacin |
| -PRIL | Every -PRIL blocks ACE — and brings the cough with it. The stem marks an ACE inhibitor: less angiotensin II is made, so vessels relax and the kidney is protected. Blocking ACE also lets bradykinin build up, which is why a dry tickly cough is the classic reason to switch to a -sartan. | Enalapril |
| -FIBRATE | A -FIBRATE goes after TRIGLYCERIDES, not cholesterol. The stem marks a PPAR-alpha activator, which speeds triglyceride clearance. A statin is the drug for a raised LDL; a fibrate is the drug for raised triglycerides — and above roughly 10 mmol/L the worry is pancreatitis, not the heart. | Fenofibrate |
| -ZOSIN | A -ZOSIN relaxes the hose — blood vessel and prostate alike. The stem marks an alpha-1 blocker. Those receptors sit on vascular smooth muscle and on the prostate and bladder neck, so one drug loosens both. First dose at bedtime: removing the reflex that holds pressure up on standing is what causes the faint. | Doxazosin, Terazosin |
| -FLOZIN | A -FLOZIN makes you FLOW the sugar out in your urine. The stem marks an SGLT2 inhibitor, blocking glucose reabsorption in the proximal tubule. The surprise of this class is that the heart and kidney benefits turned out larger than the glucose-lowering — which is why they are now given to people with no diabetes at all. | Empagliflozin, Dapagliflozin |
See it, don't memorize it
The app has a mechanism comic and a patient case for every drug – plus the name link, the class mnemonic, pronunciation you can hear, and a self-check, for the top 100 drugs. One purchase, no subscription, no account.