Anyone willing to give me some pointers on how to handle the crush of information in Pharm?
I had no problems with the systems’ physiology but this is a whole different beast! How did you keep the antagonists straight from the agonists and the -olols from the -azines?
It just seems like an endless amount of abstract information and I am having a hard time coaxing my engineering brain to assimilate facts that can’t be rationalized.
repetition, repetition, repetition, repetition
As Gabe said. 
Find some way to organize the information into manageable chunks or in ways that make sense to you. I found one of the sets of pharm flashcards to be helpful. If Dr. Fertel is still in charge of the module, I highly recommend you meet with him ASAP. He likes to meet with students and gets kind of ticked if you have to meet with him after the exam and didn’t meet with him before the exam.
On pharm already? Isn’t that the 2nd second year module? You must be really cruising!
- Emergency! Said:
As Gabe said. :-) Find some way to organize the information into manageable chunks or in ways that make sense to you. I found one of the sets of pharm flashcards to be helpful. If Dr. Fertel is still in charge of the module, I highly recommend you meet with him ASAP. He likes to meet with students and gets kind of ticked if you have to meet with him after the exam and didn't meet with him before the exam.
On pharm already? Isn't that the 2nd second year module? You must be really cruising!
On pharm already? Isn't that the 2nd second year module? You must be really cruising!
Yes, I've already met with Dr. Fertel and plan on meeting with him again.
Interestingly he now discourages the use of flashcards in his module and just asks you to make tables of all the drugs.
Pharm has been moved from the start of M2 to the end of M1. Definitely not 'cruising' just being pushed along like cilia moving phlegm!
Well, here’s a few tips.
Say it outloud when you are studying. That way you add to the sense memory. Also, write the drug names multiple times.
Antagonists - think Antigrav - against the effect. Pay attention to endings of the drug names, as there are some repeaters that can clue you in -olol’s are Beta blockers (beta ANTI-gonists)
Agonists - stimulate the nerve so much you are in agony! (not really, but helps me remember)
Regarding effects - for autonomic drugs, need to know if it is adrenergic agonist/antagonist, or cholinergic agonist/antagonist, and where those Muscarinic (acetylcholine) and alpha and beta (adrenergic) receptors are to figure out the effects. But once the physiology is there, the drugs make a lot more sense.
I always have to do drug cards for memorization of drugs. Make them myself, highlight agonists and antagonists in different colors to make an association for myself (green - agonist - go, red, antagonist, stop)
Kate
All these tips are great. Repetition is absolutely the key in pharm I found. Flashcards are great, especially when made by yourself. Kate’s recommendation of colors is also very good and supported by evidence. One of the things I found most beneficial was studying with someone else and just drilling each other. Also, making up cases (Patient X comes in with the following disease, what might you try? Then start to change it up, the patient as Y comorbidities, does that change drug choice? What is the patient going to look like if they have side effects? etc.)