Is there a point to taking Pharmacology?

[mac_kin]

As I try to plan out my life for next year I'm trying to think of different courses to take as a senior.

Did anyone here take any Pharmacology courses and find them useful?
are they generally interesting, difficult?

thanks

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[Rogue Synapse]

I'm a senior, planning my classes out; should I take Pharm? Thanks.

I took neuropharmacology last year, and it was v. hard. I sure as hell hope it will help me tremendously in med school, or else I will punch someone in the face.

 

[CanIMakeIt]

I don't know about taking pharm...unless you love to memorize bunch of names and then forget them ..... we have done some pharm/drug names for MS1 and i still remember most of it but I am not sure if I will by the end of the summer

The only way I can see it helping you is if incorporates the drug kinetics i.e. absorption rate etc.

I hope someone who took pharm as undergrad and is done with second year replies to give a more objective explanation

Good Luck

 

[Mike59]

Pharm has to be learned in context, and most of your knowledge of drugs, their side effects and when/how to use them will come during clinical rotations. All the crap they teach you in preclinicals or in a University course is fine and dandy but you'll forget 98% of it after the exams are over. Plus, it's a very superficial and painful experience (I took neuropharm as a senior and it SUCKED) that doesn't teach you a whole lot outside of research applications cause you don't know anything about disease yet.

I'd say have fun and take something more intuitive like physiology (if not something random and easy like a social science course). The pharmacokinetics/dynamics crap is not that hard and you can pick it up in a few hours leafing through a textbook once you've started medschool.

 

[ToPa55]

I would definitely take pharmacology if you have the chance, once you take pharm in med school you'll have all these new names of drugs, mechanisms of action, side effects, etc.. thrown at you all at once. It would be nice to have a decent background before getting your feet wet. It can only help.

 

[DrMom]

duplicate thread in pre-allo, so closing.