Pharmacolgy Book for USMLE step 1

[studyguy123]

hey guys, i am planning to study by reading books for usmle step 1, and i wanted to know which book is best for pharmacology...which is recommended? thanks

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[Instatewaiter]

I used first aid for the drug list. Any MOA or SE that were not listed I looked up either on wikipedia or in lippincott. I dont recommend getting a lipincott. You will have all you need with FA for pharm.

For pretty much everything else I used other books. But for pharm our administration specifically told us that FA is enough with some filling in with an outside source.

 

[RunwayModel]

hey guys, i am planning to study by reading books for usmle step 1, and i wanted to know which book is best for pharmacology...which is recommended? thanks

For Summarization: First Aid
To actually learn the material well enough to apply it: Katzung and Trevor's Pharmacology Exam and Board Review

 

[Terpskins99]

I used first aid for the drug list. Any MOA or SE that were not listed I looked up either on wikipedia or in lippincott. I dont recommend getting a lipincott. You will have all you need with FA for pharm.

For pretty much everything else I used other books. But for pharm our administration specifically told us that FA is enough with some filling in with an outside source.

First aid is enough for most purposes. I recommend writing up your own microbiology drug-of-choice list, though (mine was based on consolidated info from MMRS, Micro RR and Lange).

 

[Terpskins99]

I think so with Terpskins99, "First aid is enough for most purposes".

And, what about summarized cards or charts? Do you like summarized cards or charts? I think it very useful for medical student for recall and for USMLE.

-Some cards or charts-
1. USMLE Pharmacology and Treatment Flashcards: The 200 Questions You're Most Likely to See on the Exam For Steps 1, 2 & 3 (Cards)
2. Lange Smart Charts Pharmacology

I preferred charts for pharm. But to each his own.

 

[studyguy123]

what about physio? from what i have read sounds like BRS physiology is the way to go? any other suggestions?

 

[jackets5]

what about physio? from what i have read sounds like BRS physiology is the way to go? any other suggestions?

RR phys in my opinion is better than BRS. Have both but put done BRS for RR during class and shelf prep. Had the Big Costanzo book which is pretty much a longer, more detailed version of BRS. but RR is really, really good

 

[njbmd]

hey guys, i am planning to study by reading books for usmle step 1, and i wanted to know which book is best for pharmacology...which is recommended? thanks

The best book out there for Pharm for Step I by far is Pharmacology Recall by Ramachadrian. This book is small, compact and contains everything that you need and nothing that you don't. The Power Review in the back of the book is worth it's weight in gold.

 

[Terpskins99]

The best book out there for Pharm for Step I by far is Pharmacology Recall by Ramachadrian. This book is small, compact and contains everything that you need and nothing that you don't. The Power Review in the back of the book is worth it's weight in gold.

Its also 592 pages long. Yikes.

 

[Blesbok]

I think first aid would get you 99% of board questions.

Although I also used pharm cards to supplement it.

 

[harrisonIM]

Its also 592 pages long. Yikes.

If you take a look at it, half of the book are questions and the other half are the answers. It also a pocket sized book. Not very dense at all.

 

[MedLover25]

I think first aid would get you 99% of board questions.

Although I also used pharm cards to supplement it.

I don't think FA gets you anything really. The sole purpose is to refresh your memory. if you were weak in a subject (micro, pharm, etc) and only used FA - I don't think you'd do so hot. I'm speaking of my friends who fell into that situation....

 

[aesop]

Echoing others that FA was almost perfect for my test, although was a little skimpy on pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics. For those subjects, I reviewed applicable chapters in Kaplan Pharmacology (which I borrowed from a friend). I also thought the autonomics chapter in Kaplan was fairly well done. All said, I probably spent 2-3 hrs at most reviewing Kaplan stuff. The only way I can remember pharmacology is with flash cards (and I'm not a flashcards person), so I made my own cards based off of FA. Also, pharmacology has a shelf-life of 3-5 days in my head, so I made sure this was one of the subjects I reviewed right before the exam.

 

[Terpskins99]

I don't think FA gets you anything really. The sole purpose is to refresh your memory. if you were weak in a subject (micro, pharm, etc) and only used FA - I don't think you'd do so hot. I'm speaking of my friends who fell into that situation....

If you are particularly weak in pharmacology, then yes you should definitely get a more thorough text to study from (frankly, this holds true for every subject).

But for the average student that learned pharm pretty well the first time around, FA is sufficient. Pharm on step 1 is very rudimentary. Primary indications and top 2-3 side effects are pretty much it. I don't even recall any MOA questions, though you should obviously study this. The questions are very straight forward, and rarely consist of pharm alone (usually it is an integration with another discipline... namely path/phys/micro).

 

[spz315]

I think i'm gonna use FA + BRS pharm cards for reinforcement of high yield concepts/drugs. These are the cards that have 1-2 important things about a drug as opposed to a whole bunch of details that are likely unnecessary for the step 1. I have a fairly good background in pharm so i think this strategy will work for me. If you don't have much experience then it might be better to study something more comprehensive.

 

[studyguy123]

i have a totally random question, but what ligament prevents excessive sacral flexion, is it the sacrotuberous?