This is how I went about learning drugs, actions, names etc THUS FAR (i'm still doing pharm).
I'm really hate rote memorization, so I try to make things more intuitive/conceptual which really helps my recall.
1. I start off with the receptor anatomy/physio (what's located where [M2,M3, alpha1 etc] and what do they do [increase/block sympathetic etc]). Along the same lines, it helps to know how the underlying system normally works (ANS, somatics etc) bcos all that the drug is going to do, is to modify the underlying physiology.
2. Then, I learned how the prototypical drug/neurotransmitter in each class (ACh, NorE, Atropine etc) works; which receptors do they act and how do they modify the underlying physiology. Knowing receptor anatomy/physiology (see above) really helps with this.
3. Finally, I would learn how the other members of the drug class differ from the prototypical drug, they usually differ in PK attributes (longer/shorter acting; better receptor selectivity (muscarinic over nicotinic)) etc...
4. After this, the only pure rote memorization I have to do is know what drugs were in each class, and for this I wrote them out over and over until it stuck. I also used mnemonics to remember members of a drug class.
Good luck!
Many moons ago when I was a pharm tech, I remember handing a bag of ceftriaxone (it said, in big letters, "ceftriaxone") to a nurse and said, "Here's the ceftriaxone," and she said, "I asked for Rocephin."
