drug names, classes, and parenthesis in FA

[aashkab]

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Hi,

I'm sorry that I am starting another thread on this but for some reason, the last two attempts I've made at posting in another one haven't been working so hopefully starting a new thread works.

So, I have two basic questions regarding what to know for a drug name. I know that we don't need to know the brand name. But do we have to know classes like "sulfonylurea." For example, will sulfonylurea ever be an answer choice or will it always be the actual generic name of a drug all the time like glipizide?

The second question I have is in FA sometimes they have drugs like Muromonab (OKT3). Again, do you see answer choices one way or another or do I have to memorize both?

I hope this isn't too nittpicky but every word less than I can memorize of a foreign language helps a great deal.

 

[buckeye12]

Hi,

I'm sorry that I am starting another thread on this but for some reason, the last two attempts I've made at posting in another one haven't been working so hopefully starting a new thread works.

So, I have two basic questions regarding what to know for a drug name. I know that we don't need to know the brand name. But do we have to know classes like "sulfonylurea." For example, will sulfonylurea ever be an answer choice or will it always be the actual generic name of a drug all the time like glipizide?

The second question I have is in FA sometimes they have drugs like Muromonab (OKT3). Again, do you see answer choices one way or another or do I have to memorize both?

I hope this isn't too nittpicky but every word less than I can memorize of a foreign language helps a great deal.

I'd be interested to know as well. I imagine many questions will require you to go from vignette -> (drug/class) -> mechanism of action or side effect or other uses. But how many times will we need to know the name?

 

[aashkab]

yeah i always know mechanism of action to treat the disease. it just seems i have the drug class name memorized instead of the actual generic drug or vice versa for that particular disease and screws me when thats the answer choice.

 

[IM Substance P]

I'd be interested to know as well. I imagine many questions will require you to go from vignette -> (drug/class) -> mechanism of action or side effect or other uses. But how many times will we need to know the name?

Less often than you'd think.

Honestly, don't bother memorizing every drug from within a given class. I would know maybe one or two drugs from the class.

The Step 1 question writers are definitely more interested in drug concepts. For example, you might have a patient whom they tell you is on an ACE-I (may not even give you the name), and they'll ask you to choose which disturbance in electrolytes or disturbance in other hormones is most likely.

Adrenergic- and cholinergic-modifying medications are the only major exceptions. You must know all of them, and you must know what receptors they affect.

And to answer the OP, they'll probably never ask you OTK3 versus its other name. Nor will they put a drug like OTK3 in a question stem without tell you what class it belongs to.

As a general rule, if you've never heard of the drug before your Step 1 prep, it's very unlikely to show up on the Step. And they'll almost always choose the most common drug from a class (like sulfonylureas).

 

[Dirt]

I can only speak for Uworld, but they definitely love to ask about the most random member of a drug class i.e. they often like to give you ethacrynic acid and indapamide instead of furosemide and hydrochlorathiazide. In addition they often speak of drugs as a class such as phenothiazines. I am not sure if step 1 is quite so cruel.

Also, there have been more drugs on Uworld that I had never heard of than I can count of my digits (Cilostazol and Fenoldopam come to mind). At the moment if there is ever a drug I don't know I pick it.

 

[kryptik]

I can only speak for Uworld, but they definitely love to ask about the most random member of a drug class i.e. they often like to give you ethacrynic acid and indapamide instead of furosemide and hydrochlorathiazide. In addition they often speak of drugs as a class such as phenothiazines. I am not sure if step 1 is quite so cruel.

Also, there have been more drugs on Uworld that I had never heard of than I can count of my digits (Cilostazol and Fenoldopam come to mind). At the moment if there is ever a drug I don't know I pick it.

Fenoldopam is in FA