Pharmaceutics - Tell All

[PharmDad13]

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Hey everyone,

I would like to hear about what Pharmaceutics is like in other pharmacy schools. Why? - you ask.

I don't understand why we are taking this course. My professor directs it more towards the pharmaceutical scientist then the actually pharmacist. When will I ever need to know the methods for determining physical degradation in biopharmaceuticals?

I was just wondering if yall feel the same way OR maybe yall are actually learning necessary stuff that you can take with you.

 

[deleted205891]

Well, our pharmaceutics course (2-course sequence) is for both PharmD and pharmaceutical sciences majors. Yes, most people won't use any of that stuff, but some will (compounding pharmacists, for one). I think there's some useful stuff for all pharmacists to know, like stability issues for making various dosage forms. Also, apparently later they get into a lot of introductory PK.

 

[crazybob]

For some of our lectures, we have had an analytical chemist lecture to us about biotech products and how they are usually manufactured. We had to know the trade names and indications for those (including insulins). Then we had a pharmacist lecture to us about opthalmic products, nasal products, ear products, etc. that were from top 200 or top 300 drugs. Then after that, when we take Drug Information or Dispensing, we end up coming back to some of the drugs we already learned in pharmaceutics.

Sometimes when we learn about suspensions, ointments, gels, creams, etc. and we get to know which products on the market are made up of such dosage forms, it helps us visualize their uses.

 

[PharmDad13]

I do agree that pharmacist should know about stability issues, and we have learned things that will make me a better pharmacist but my professor is mainly focused on the design and manufacture of drugs since she IS a pharmaceutical scientist.

I guess I was mainly venting because my professor wants us to memorize all the amino acids and what physical and chemical degradations they are susceptible to. (Did I mention it's only worth ONE credit hour 😱) We have four sections.

 

[deleted205891]

Oh we have 7 credits of ceutics (3 first semester and 4 second). We didn't have to memorize anything like that...yet.

 

[crazybob]

I do agree that pharmacist should know about stability issues, and we have learned things that will make me a better pharmacist but my professor is mainly focused on the design and manufacture of drugs since she IS a pharmaceutical scientist.

I guess I was mainly venting because my professor wants us to memorize all the amino acids and what physical and chemical degradations they are susceptible to. (Did I mention it's only worth ONE credit hour 😱) We have four sections.

Like which functional groups are subject to oxidation and which are subject to hydrolysis? Yeah we had to do that in ceutics 1.

 

[Praziquantel86]

It might be more relevant to the pharmaceutics folks, but you can't write it off as useless knowledge. Understanding the physical components behind stability will help you understand why certain expiration dates are given, or why certain formulations of medications are impossible. You learn why generics are considered equivalent to brand (or not) and the standards for determining equivalence. The theory behind the information actually gives you a firm base on a large amount of practical information.

You will be considered a medication expert by the public and other health professionals, and it is your obligation to know what you're talking about. Anyone can spout off commonly available knowledge, but it's your responsibility to understand what is actually going on. You might not realize it now, but you will definitely be asked questions about this information over the course of your career.

And as far as amino acids go, didn't you already have to memorize that for either organic, biochem or medchem (or all three)? I know I did.

 

[PharmDad13]

It might be more relevant to the pharmaceutics folks, but you can't write it off as useless knowledge. Understanding the physical components behind stability will help you understand why certain expiration dates are given, or why certain formulations of medications are impossible. You learn why generics are considered equivalent to brand (or not) and the standards for determining equivalence. The theory behind the information actually gives you a firm base on a large amount of practical information.

You will be considered a medication expert by the public and other health professionals, and it is your obligation to know what you're talking about. Anyone can spout off commonly available knowledge, but it's your responsibility to understand what is actually going on. You might not realize it now, but you will definitely be asked questions about this information over the course of your career.

And as far as amino acids go, didn't you already have to memorize that for either organic, biochem or medchem (or all three)? I know I did.

I totally agree. As for amino acids I never had to learn them in Organic and you just had to know the side chain functional groups in Biochem.

Medchem is in P2 year. <-- what's that class like?

 

[confettiflyer]

And as far as amino acids go, didn't you already have to memorize that for either organic, biochem or medchem (or all three)? I know I did.

pump and dump baby, pump and dump!

 

[PharmDad13]

So when it comes to memorizing the structures basically HIT IT and FORGET IT?

 

[Praziquantel86]

pump and dump baby, pump and dump!

That's normally the way I work...stuff starts to stick the third time around though. I couldn't tell you the first thing about orgo anymore.

 

[confettiflyer]

certain things will stick, like i'll recognize C=O and -OH and etc...

..but i won't be able to tell you jack squat about their properties/etc.

just gimme the clinical significance that will make me useful in the clinical setting and be done with it.

 

[mike36]

I am really frustrated with the way my school does pharmaceutics, because it is in the first year before we do any Therapeutics. We learn all about different dosage forms in great detail (inhalers, creams, lotions, ointments, gels, tabs, caps, etc.) but then forget nearly all of it during the summer before we start Pharmacotherapy.

I think the class has a lot of relevant information (and too much info in some places for a pharmacist to know) but I think it should be placed either in the middle of our Phamacotherapy sequence or after so that we can put it into context with the drugs we learn in Therapeutics.