What does this Pharmacology cheat sheet cover?

It has 9 sections: ADME, Half-life, Receptors, Autonomic Drugs, Cardiovascular, Antibiotics, Analgesics, Anticoagulants and Suffixes. Together they cover the topics a typical Pharmacology exam tests, including pharmacokinetics: ADME, half-life and steady state, pharmacodynamics: agonists, antagonists and therapeutic index.

Is the pharmacology cheat sheet for nursing free?

The first part is free to read on this page, with no account needed. The full sheet opens in the app with Unlimited ($4.99 a month or $19 for a semester), where you can edit it, print it or save it as a PDF. It is one US Letter page and prints cleanly in black and white or colour.

Can I bring this Pharmacology cheat sheet to my exam?

Only if your course allows a note sheet, so check the syllabus. This one is a single US Letter page. If your exam allows a different size, such as a 3x5 or 4x6 index card or one page front and back, Cheat Sheet AI makes one at exactly that size from your own lecture notes.

The sheet was written by our engine from a standard course outline, then a second model fact-checked every formula and statement against it; it made no corrections before publishing. Notation and emphasis vary between courses, so check it against your own lecture notes.

Can I make a Pharmacology sheet from my own notes?

Yes. Upload your lecture slides, notes or study guide and Cheat Sheet AI writes a sheet in your course's notation, sized to exactly the space your exam allows. Your first sheets are free.

HealthPharmacology

Pharmacology Cheat Sheet for Nursing — 1-page PDF

ADME, dose-response, major drug classes, and common suffixes. The whole course on one dense, printable page for your midterm or final, with every formula typeset and worked examples where they help.

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For a specific exam: Pharmacology Midterm study sheet, Pharmacology Final exam study sheet.

1 pageUS Letter
9 sections10 topics
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Preview of the one-page Pharmacology cheat sheet: ADME, dose-response, major drug classes, and common suffixes — the whole course, one page

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What’s on it

The topics a typical Pharmacology exam tests, all on the one page.

Pharmacokinetics: ADME
Half-life and steady state
Pharmacodynamics: agonists, antagonists
Therapeutic index
Autonomic drugs
Cardiovascular drugs
Antibiotics classes
Analgesics: NSAIDs and opioids
Anticoagulants
Common drug suffixes

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The free part of the sheet, section by section. Unlock the full sheet to read the rest, edit any block, and print it or save it as a PDF.

01ADME

Absorption: Movement of drug from site of administration → systemic circulation; affected by route, blood flow, surface area, pH, lipophilicity, first-pass metabolism.
Distribution: Reversible transfer of drug between blood and tissues; affected by perfusion, plasma protein binding, tissue binding, and barrier permeability.
Metabolism: Biotransformation, mostly hepatic; phase I (oxidation/reduction/hydrolysis) and phase II (conjugation) usually ↑ polarity.
Excretion: Removal of drug from body, usually renal; also bile, lungs, sweat, milk.

Bioavailability

F = \frac{amount reaching systemic circulation}{dose administered}

Oral $F$ often < 1 due to incomplete absorption + first-pass effect.

Clearance

C L = \frac{rate of elimination}{C _{plasma}}

Volume of plasma cleared per unit time.

Volume of distribution

V_{d} = \frac{amount of drug in body}{C _{plasma}}

Large $V_{d}$ ⇒ extensive tissue distribution; small $V_{d}$ ⇒ mostly intravascular.

02Receptors

Partial agonist: Activates receptor but has lower maximal effect than full agonist; can block a full agonist.
Antagonist: Binds receptor with affinity but no efficacy; blocks agonist action.
Competitive antagonist: Reversible; shifts dose-response curve right, $E_{ma x}$ unchanged.
Noncompetitive antagonist: Reduces maximal response, often by irreversible binding or allosteric inhibition.

Potency

Potency \sim E C_{50}^{- 1}

Lower $E C_{50}$ ⇒ more potent.

Efficacy: Maximal effect a drug can produce; reflected by $E_{ma x}$ .
Therapeutic index: Safety margin comparing toxic and effective doses.

Therapeutic index

T I = \frac{T D _{50}}{E D _{50}}

Higher $T I$ ⇒ safer drug; narrow $T I$ drugs need monitoring.

Watch out:Potency ≠ efficacy: a very potent drug can have low maximal effect; a less potent drug can be more efficacious.

03Cardiovascular

Major drug groups

Class	Typical use	Key note
ACE inhibitors	HTN, HF	↓ angiotensin II, ↑ bradykinin
ARBs	HTN, HF	block $A T_{1}$ receptor
Diuretics	HTN, edema	↓ volume
CCBs	HTN, angina	dihydropyridines mainly vascular
$β$ -blockers	HTN, angina, arrhythmia	↓ HR, ↓ renin
Nitrates	angina	venodilation ↓ preload
Statins	hyperlipidemia	↓ cholesterol synthesis

Blood pressure

B P = C O \times S V R

$C O$ = cardiac output; $S V R$ = systemic vascular resistance.

ACE inhibitor adverse effects: Cough, angioedema, hyperkalemia, teratogenicity.
Nitrates: Donate NO → vasodilation; used for angina relief and prevention.
Statins: HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors; lower LDL.
Digoxin: Positive inotrope; inhibits Na $^{+}$ /K $^{+}$ -ATPase; narrow therapeutic index.

Watch out:Nitrates + PDE5 inhibitors can cause severe hypotension.

04Analgesics

COX-1: Constitutive prostaglandin synthesis; GI protection, platelet function, renal blood flow.
COX-2: Inducible inflammation-associated prostaglandin synthesis; main analgesic target.
Opioid overdose signs: Respiratory depression, pinpoint pupils, coma.
Naloxone: Competitive opioid antagonist used for overdose reversal.

Watch out:NSAIDs can worsen ulcers, kidney disease, and bleeding risk; acetaminophen toxicity is dose-related and hepatic.

05Anticoagulants

Common agents

Drug	Target	Monitoring
Heparin	activates antithrombin → inhibits IIa/Xa	aPTT
LMWH	mostly Xa inhibition via antithrombin	usually none
Warfarin	inhibits vitamin K epoxide reductase	INR
DOACs	direct Xa or IIa inhibition	usually none

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Also on the full Pharmacology sheet

8 more sections, with every definition, formula and worked example. Unlimited unlocks every full sheet in the library to edit, print or save as a PDF, and makes unlimited sheets from your own notes.

ADME

Half-life

Half-life
Elimination
Half-life relation
Steady state
Loading dose
Maintenance dose
Maintenance dose rate

Receptors

Agonist

Autonomic Drugs

Core autonomic categories
Sympathomimetics
Sympatholytics
Cholinomimetics
Cholinesterase inhibitor
Autonomic receptor effects

Antibiotics

High-yield classes
Bactericidal
Bacteriostatic
Spectrum
β-lactam mechanism
Vancomycin

Analgesics

NSAIDs vs opioids
NSAIDs

Anticoagulants

Heparin
Warfarin
Vitamin K cycle
INR
aPTT

Suffixes

Common suffix clues
Suffix strategy

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FAQ

Questions

About the Pharmacology sheet and making your own.

What does this Pharmacology cheat sheet cover?: It has 9 sections: ADME, Half-life, Receptors, Autonomic Drugs, Cardiovascular, Antibiotics, Analgesics, Anticoagulants and Suffixes. Together they cover the topics a typical Pharmacology exam tests, including pharmacokinetics: ADME, half-life and steady state, pharmacodynamics: agonists, antagonists and therapeutic index.
Is the pharmacology cheat sheet for nursing free?: The first part is free to read on this page, with no account needed. The full sheet opens in the app with Unlimited ($4.99 a month or $19 for a semester), where you can edit it, print it or save it as a PDF. It is one US Letter page and prints cleanly in black and white or colour.
Can I bring this Pharmacology cheat sheet to my exam?: Only if your course allows a note sheet, so check the syllabus. This one is a single US Letter page. If your exam allows a different size, such as a 3x5 or 4x6 index card or one page front and back, Cheat Sheet AI makes one at exactly that size from your own lecture notes.
How accurate is it?: The sheet was written by our engine from a standard course outline, then a second model fact-checked every formula and statement against it; it made no corrections before publishing. Notation and emphasis vary between courses, so check it against your own lecture notes.
Can I make a Pharmacology sheet from my own notes?: Yes. Upload your lecture slides, notes or study guide and Cheat Sheet AI writes a sheet in your course's notation, sized to exactly the space your exam allows. Your first sheets are free.

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