Your FREE ExCPT Flashcards 2026 – 100+ Cards

A technician prepares and processes the prescription and surfaces alerts; the pharmacist makes the final verification and counsels patients.

A DUR/interaction alert, counseling, or therapeutic substitution — the technician refers it to the pharmacist, never overrides it.

First Expired, First Out — rotate stock so the soonest-to-expire product is used first.

A high-volume product dispensed frequently that must be reordered often to avoid running out.

Identify and quarantine the affected LOT NUMBERS so the product is not dispensed.

A recall for a product with a reasonable probability of serious harm or death.

A recall for a product that may cause temporary or medically reversible harm.

A recall for a product unlikely to cause adverse health consequences.

Removal of a product for a minor violation not subject to FDA legal action (distinct from a recall).

The FDA's 'Approved Drug Products with Therapeutic Equivalence Evaluations' — lists AB-rated generics for substitution.

Keep the product in its original amber or light-resistant container, away from direct light (e.g., nitroglycerin).

Inflammation (arthritis, dermatitis).

Surgical removal (appendectomy).

Above normal / below normal (hypertension / hypoglycemia).

Slow / fast (bradycardia / tachycardia).

Heart (cardiology, cardiomyopathy).

The home monitoring device (with test strips) a diabetic patient uses to check blood sugar.

Created the DEA Schedule I–V classification of drugs by abuse potential.

Highest abuse potential, no accepted U.S. medical use; not dispensed (heroin, LSD).

High abuse potential with accepted medical use; NO refills (oxycodone, fentanyl, Adderall).

May be refilled up to 5 times within 6 months.

The prescriber must deliver a written, signed prescription to the pharmacy within 7 days.

Orders or transfers Schedule II controlled substances (or the electronic CSOS equivalent).

Application to register a pharmacy to dispense controlled substances.

Reports the theft or significant loss of controlled substances.

Records the destruction of controlled substances.

Federal law requires records to be kept at least 2 years; C-II records separate or readily retrievable.

Add digits 1+3+5; add (2+4+6)×2; the last digit of the sum must equal the 7th (check) digit.

The pharmacist (with the prescriber) is ultimately responsible for the legality of a controlled-substance prescription.

3.6 g/day and 9 g/30 days per purchaser; behind the counter with a logbook and photo ID.

An FDA Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy for high-risk drugs (isotretinoin/iPLEDGE, clozapine).

Poison Prevention Packaging Act — child-resistant packaging for most oral Rx drugs (a patient may waive it).

Created the legend (Rx-only) vs OTC distinction and the 'Rx only' label.

Required drugs to be proven EFFECTIVE, not just safe (after the thalidomide tragedy).

Approves new drugs as safe and effective before marketing and regulates labeling and recalls.

The standardized OTC panel listing active ingredients, uses, warnings, and directions.

An FDA-required, patient-directed handout dispensed with certain high-risk drugs.

A drug whose quality is compromised — contaminated, impure, or prepared under unsanitary conditions.

A drug whose labeling is false, misleading, or missing required information.

Protects patients' protected health information (PHI).

Blood-pressure/heart-failure class ending in '-pril' (lisinopril, enalapril). Side effects: dry cough and hyperkalemia; avoid in pregnancy.

Class ending in '-olol' (metoprolol, atenolol) that slows the heart rate; used for hypertension, angina, and heart failure. Exceptions: carvedilol, labetalol.

Cholesterol-lowering class ending in '-statin' (atorvastatin, rosuvastatin). Monitor for muscle pain (myopathy).

Angiotensin II receptor blocker ending in '-sartan' (losartan, valsartan); an alternative when ACE inhibitors cause cough.

Class ending in '-dipine' (amlodipine, nifedipine) for hypertension. Diltiazem and verapamil are non-dihydropyridine CCBs.

Acid-reducing class ending in '-prazole' (omeprazole, pantoprazole); take 30–60 minutes before the first meal.

Antibiotic class ending in '-cillin' (amoxicillin, ampicillin). Watch for penicillin allergy.

Antibiotic class ending in '-floxacin' (ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin); carry a tendon-rupture warning.

Sedative/anxiolytic class ending in '-pam' or '-lam' (lorazepam, alprazolam); Schedule IV controlled substances.

DPP-4 inhibitors (sitagliptin), GLP-1 agonists (semaglutide), and SGLT2 inhibitors (empagliflozin).

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (ibuprofen, naproxen); relieves pain and inflammation by inhibiting cyclooxygenase. GI and bleeding risk.

Anti-inflammatory/immunosuppressant class (prednisone); not an antibiotic, diuretic, or anticoagulant.

Brand name for atorvastatin, a statin used for high cholesterol.

Brand name for levothyroxine, a thyroid hormone replacement for hypothyroidism.

Brand name for metformin, the first-line oral drug for type 2 diabetes.

Brand name for warfarin, an anticoagulant monitored by INR.

Brand name for omeprazole, a proton pump inhibitor for GERD and ulcers.

Brand names for albuterol, a short-acting beta-2 agonist rescue inhaler for asthma.

Brand name for furosemide, a loop diuretic for edema and hypertension.

Brand name for amlodipine, a calcium channel blocker for hypertension.

Vitamin K (phytonadione) reverses warfarin, which is monitored by INR.

Protamine sulfate reverses heparin, which is monitored by aPTT.

Naloxone (Narcan) reverses opioid overdose (respiratory depression).

N-acetylcysteine (NAC) treats acetaminophen overdose; max acetaminophen is about 4 g/day.

Flumazenil reverses benzodiazepine sedation/respiratory depression.

Small gap between effective and toxic dose; levels are monitored. Examples: warfarin, digoxin, lithium, phenytoin, levothyroxine, theophylline.

A long-acting basal insulin providing steady baseline glucose control; rapid-acting insulins cover meals.

Two drugs from the same class (or same effect) prescribed together — raises overdose and side-effect risk; the DUR flags it.

Never crush or split — crushing releases the full dose at once or destroys the protective coating.

Anticoagulants (warfarin, heparin) act on clotting factors; antiplatelets (aspirin, clopidogrel) stop platelets from clumping.

Dry cough and hyperkalemia (high potassium); switch to an ARB if cough is intolerable.

Allergy to sulfonamides (e.g., sulfamethoxazole); commonly tested alongside penicillin allergy.

The prescription directions written in standardized abbreviations (e.g., 'i tab PO BID' = one tablet by mouth twice a day).

By mouth (per os); the most common route abbreviation.

Twice / three times / four times a day.

Before meals (ante cibum) / after meals (post cibum) / at bedtime (hora somni).

As needed.

Drop(s) — used for eye, ear, or nose preparations.

Right eye / left eye / both eyes.

Sublingual — dissolved under the tongue (e.g., nitroglycerin); bypasses first-pass metabolism.

Immediately / nothing by mouth.

Total quantity dispensed ÷ amount used per day; insurers use it to decide whether a refill is 'too soon.'

Weight conversion. Convert pounds to kilograms before weight-based (mg/kg) dosing.

Volume conversion for a teaspoon.

Volume conversion for a tablespoon.

Volume conversion for a fluid ounce.

Apothecary conversion (often rounded to 60 mg).

Grams of drug per 100 mL of solution.

1 g in 1000 mL = 1 mg/mL (e.g., epinephrine 1:1000).

mL/hr = total volume ÷ infusion time in hours.

A 10- or 11-digit FDA number: labeler + product + package size. Bill and dispense the matching NDC.

The real-time electronic process in which an insurer approves a claim and returns the patient's copay.

Routing numbers on the insurance card that direct the claim to the correct processor.

Insurer approval required before a drug is covered; the prescriber submits clinical justification.

A billing message that the patient should still have medication on hand based on the last fill's days' supply.

DAW 0 = substitution allowed; DAW 1 = prescriber requires the brand.

The standard for NON-sterile compounding (oral and topical preparations).

The standard for STERILE compounding (injectables, IVs) to prevent contamination.

The standard for safe handling of HAZARDOUS drugs to protect workers and the environment.

Adding a measured volume of diluent (often sterile water) to a powder to make a solution/suspension before dispensing.

The date after which a compounded or reconstituted product should not be used — usually shorter than the manufacturer's expiration date.

Set by the manufacturer for a drug in its original, unopened container (differs from a BUD).

Dispensing an AB-rated generic for the brand; allowed unless the prescriber writes 'dispense as written.'

Dispensing a DIFFERENT drug in the same class than prescribed; requires prescriber or protocol approval.

A valid Rx needs the patient's full name, drug, strength, directions, quantity, and the prescriber's signature.

Hold the prescription and obtain the required signature or verification before dispensing.

A DEA-registered company processes returned or expired controlled substances.

A horizontal-flow hood (LAFW) protects the product; a vertical-flow biological safety cabinet protects the worker handling hazardous drugs.

A drug with a heightened risk of significant harm if used in error — insulin, heparin, opioids, concentrated KCl, chemotherapy.

Look-Alike/Sound-Alike drugs confused by name or packaging (hydralazine vs hydroxyzine); a leading error source.

Mixed-case spelling that highlights differing letters of confused names (predniSONE vs prednisoLONE).

Right patient, right drug, right dose, right route, right time — checked before dispensing/administration.

Confirm identity by full name AND date of birth — never by room or bed number alone.

Avoid 'U' for unit, 'QD/QOD,' and 'MS'; write 'unit' fully, use a leading zero (0.5 mg), never a trailing zero (5.0 mg).

A second qualified person verifies high-alert preparations (insulin, heparin, chemo, pediatric doses).

Scanning the product (and patient) to confirm the right drug and dose before dispensing.

An error caught and corrected before it reaches the patient.

An unexpected occurrence involving death or serious injury, requiring immediate investigation.

A RETROSPECTIVE process that finds the underlying cause of an error to prevent recurrence.

Failure Mode and Effects Analysis — a PROACTIVE method that anticipates how a process could fail before harm occurs.

Collects reports of serious adverse events, product quality problems, and medication errors with FDA-regulated products.

An adverse drug event (ADE) is any medication-related harm, including from errors; an adverse drug reaction (ADR) is harm from appropriate use.

Insulin is a high-alert drug — use an independent double-check and verify the product (U-100 vs U-500) before dispensing.