Medicinal Chemistry vs Pharm

[Isoprop]

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Excuse my ignorance, but what's the difference between med chem and pharm?

So my post-bacc is offering medicinal chemistry and pharmacology. Both are year long courses offered by the chem department. I took a very general pharm class in undergrad (2 quarter credit hours) where we learned about 300 drug names, some choice model mechanisms, etc. basically out of the lippencott's book.

How different is medicinal chemistry?

Is this textbook appropriate for med chem at the undergrad level? Evidently, the course doesn't have a textbook, but I just want to get the general sense of what to expect.
http://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Medicinal-Chemistry-Graham-Patrick/dp/0199234477

 

[ChemistWiz]

Excuse my ignorance, but what's the difference between med chem and pharm?

So my post-bacc is offering medicinal chemistry and pharmacology. Both are year long courses offered by the chem department. I took a very general pharm class in undergrad (2 quarter credit hours) where we learned about 300 drug names, some choice model mechanisms, etc. basically out of the lippencott's book.

How different is medicinal chemistry?

Is this textbook appropriate for med chem at the undergrad level? Evidently, the course doesn't have a textbook, but I just want to get the general sense of what to expect.
http://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Medicinal-Chemistry-Graham-Patrick/dp/0199234477

Medicinal Chemistry is the desgning, synthesizing, and development of new drugs. It is about identifying drug structures, and creating new ones and using them for therapeutic use. Now when you say Pharm I'm assuming you are referring to Pharmacology? Pharmacology is the study of drug action to rather the interactions of drugs to the body or to other drugs. It also ventures to how the body affects the drug. put simply one is more biological and the other is more chemical. That Medicinal chem book should be fine, but I would want something more in depth.

 

[PharmDWanabe]

Pharmacy and medicinal chemistry are very very different and you should consider your opportunities carefully before you decide.

I can only confidently tell you about medicinal chemistry because I've ventured into it in the past.

With medicinal chemistry you will be learning a lot of synthetic organic chemistry, which will be by far your primary focus. This means that you will spend your time working in a laboratory synthesizing molecules directed towards a biological purpose. Graduate work will include ~3 years for candidacy, 2 more years for PhD, and 2-4 years of post-doctorate work. When you finish your education a common job opportunity is working for big pharma, where you will be a synthetic machine, synthesizing several molecules per week.



Medicinal chemistry will be a job where you are constantly mentally stimulated; you will be learning every day. The job can be very lucrative if you are talented, but you could find yourself out of work if you start to slack. The work can be very stressful but almost never boring.

 

[Isoprop]

Yes, by pharm I mean pharmacology. And thanks.

 

[Isoprop]

Pharmacy and medicinal chemistry are very very different and you should consider your opportunities carefully before you decide.

With medicinal chemistry you will be learning a lot of synthetic organic chemistry, which will be by far your primary focus. This means that you will spend your time working in a laboratory synthesizing molecules directed towards a biological purpose. Graduate work will include ~3 years for candidacy, 2 more years for PhD, and 2-4 years of post-doctorate work. When you finish your education a common job opportunity is working for big pharma, where you will be a synthetic machine, synthesizing several molecules per week.



Medicinal chemistry will be a job where you are constantly mentally stimulated; you will be learning every day. The job can be very lucrative if you are talented, but you could find yourself out of work if you start to slack. The work can be very stressful but almost never boring.

I should clarify that I'm inquiring about undergraduate courses, not careers. A 3 credit hour course in medicinal chemistry vs a 3 credit hour course in pharmacology.

 

[ChemistWiz]

I should clarify that I'm inquiring about undergraduate courses, not careers. A 3 credit hour course in medicinal chemistry vs a 3 credit hour course in pharmacology.

are you pre-pharm?

 

[Isoprop]

nope. post-bacc premed. i ran out of upper-div bio classes to take so i'm turning to chem and physics. aside from analytical, pharm and med chem are the only chem classes i can take that doesn't require taking more math.

 

[ChemistWiz]

nope. post-bacc premed. i ran out of upper-div bio classes to take so i'm turning to chem and physics. aside from analytical, pharm and med chem are the only chem classes i can take that doesn't require taking more math.

take Pharmacology you'll use it more.

 

[whatbout2morrow]

In med chem, you are going more towards the chemical aspects of medicinal compounds, including the properties of a chemical compound which make it behave that way, and possible modifications of these compounds that would make it behave differently, whether beneficial or harmful.

In pharmacology, you are heading more towards the study of physiological and therapeutic mechanisms of action and sideaffects of drugs.

Both are great, but at this point, pharmacology will definitely be of more benefit to you.

 

[rxlea]

Pharmacology, FTW.

 

[BigEvilRx]

...With medicinal chemistry you will be learning a lot of synthetic organic chemistry, which will be by far your primary focus. This means that you will spend your time working in a laboratory synthesizing molecules directed towards a biological purpose. Graduate work will include ~3 years for candidacy, 2 more years for PhD, and 2-4 years of post-doctorate work. When you finish your education a common job opportunity is working for big pharma, where you will be a synthetic machine, synthesizing several molecules per week...

This is what I want to do SO BADLY...I mean I love Pharmacy, but I want to be doing this eventually. If I like Biology more than Chemistry, does this mean I am off track. Meaning, doing I not really want to pursue this career (Not Pharmacy). Basically, by being into Biology more than Chemistry does that mean I wouldn't enjoy medicinal chemistry?

 

[ChemistWiz]

This is what I want to do SO BADLY...I mean I love Pharmacy, but I want to be doing this eventually. If I like Biology more than Chemistry, does this mean I am off track. Meaning, doing I not really want to pursue this career (Not Pharmacy). Basically, by being into Biology more than Chemistry does that mean I wouldn't enjoy medicinal chemistry?

Not at all. I mean I LOVE chemistry, yet I find Biology fascinating. but Medicinal chemistry as a PHD is very Chemistry based, yes but you do understand some pharmacology. However, if you want to pursue a degree in medicinal chemistry and eventually a career I recommend you LOVE math and Chemistry and would rather do the m over biology. Hope is not lost though you could always be a pharmacologist.

 

[tungsten87]

I say take the medicinal chemistry course. if you are going to pharmacy school all the material in the pharmacology course will be covered in greater detail. why not expose yourself to something that you may not see again (synthetic organic chemistry, organic mechanisms, resonance... real chemistry)? my opinion is based on the assumption that the pharmacology course is just a basic overview of pharmacology and certain classes of drugs/diseases while the medicinal chemistry course involves heavy organic synthesis.


edit: i see you're pre-med. take med chem if you want to learn something unique or take pharmacology if you want to better prepare yourself for med school pharm courses.

 

[ChemistWiz]

I say take the medicinal chemistry course. if you are going to pharmacy school all the material in the pharmacology course will be covered in greater detail. why not expose yourself to something that you may not see again (synthetic organic chemistry, organic mechanisms, resonance... real chemistry)? my opinion is based on the assumption that the pharmacology course is just a basic overview of pharmacology and certain classes of drugs/diseases while the medicinal chemistry course involves heavy organic synthesis.


edit: i see you're pre-med. take med chem if you want to learn something unique or take pharmacology if you want to better prepare yourself for med school pharm courses.

I think both would be fun.

 

[Isoprop]

Thanks. Med chem sounds interesting, and since I'm going to take pharm anyway in med school, I'll probably take medicinal chem. Even if it means I'll be slightly less prepared.