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Top 200
Started by PistonFan531
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You might get more/better responses if this was posted in the big boys (and girls) forum. As the medication experts though, I could only assume that you need to know both. From my experiences in the pharmacy, physicians typically write for a brand name drug but most pharmacists dispense the generic (if available or unless stated otherwise). So yea, learn both.
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But if you're thinking of studying in advance, don't. You learn them as you go, I promise.
I also agree. No point in killing yourself before school even starts.
Knowing brand and generic will be helpful AFTER you get a tech job, but you learn that on the job, too.
Uh, seriously? I want to go to your school where memorizing drugs in order to become a drug expert is not required.
Are you really a pharmacy student, or one of those russian spies?
lol i bet it is
I can't speak for other schools..
but when I went to pharm school..
this is what we did..
we have weekly quizzes on the following topics regarding the top 200:
1st semester- brand and generic
2nd semester- indication/ class
3rd semester- dosing/ common adverse effect
but i heard they are changing it..
anyways, good luck!
but when I went to pharm school..
this is what we did..
we have weekly quizzes on the following topics regarding the top 200:
1st semester- brand and generic
2nd semester- indication/ class
3rd semester- dosing/ common adverse effect
but i heard they are changing it..
anyways, good luck!
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My school does it differently. We learn all that info the previous poster mentioned (though I'm not sure we have to learn pharmacokinetics) but we get tested on twenty drugs at a time. We are also responsible for all the drugs we learned previously so we just can't learn them and forget it.
I don't understand the mindset of "not bothering." I look at it this way. If you are considering going into pharmacy school, or any school for that matter, wouldn't you want to have a basic understanding of the profession before heading in?
I realize that people have went through it without knowing a thing but isn't it better to study/research something and find out how interested you are before making such a huge life decision. Besides, memorizing the Top 200 is extremely easy. UNDERSTANDING them is better.
Teach yourself slowly, learn them to the point that it is second nature. Then build upon that to where you have a database in your head and can connect drugs to each other. Research all the characteristics of drugs so that you won't have to kill yourself learning just the basics.
I have yet to be accepted (but I will be) and I will have set myself up for a better learning experience and hopefully can help others in my class learn about pharmacy. I want a CAREER. To excel at a career, you must strive to do your best.
I look at it this way, if you head into pharmacy school and can't tell someone anything about a single drug, then you have a problem. How can you decide on a career when you have no interest in the material?
For anyone in the future that reads this post, I will leave a little interesting subject matter to get you started if you haven't already.
A VERY IMPORTANT Top 200 drug is Warfarin. It's Brand Name is Coumadin. It was originally used as RAT POISON and is now used to treat or prevent Blood Clots in Human Beings.
Another interesting one that is irrelevant but still interesting to me.
Nystatin, introduced in 1954 as an antifungal drug, was named after the New York State Institute of Health.
You can link all these with simple little tricks.
Amitriptyline (Elavil), I was in a class and someone mentioned how they remembered this. (Amitriptyline is an anti-depressant)
The Phrase "I'm a trippin on elavil"
Translates to "Amitriptyline on Elavil"
Really dumb, but it serves its purpose.
Anyways, yes, it can be very important.
I realize that people have went through it without knowing a thing but isn't it better to study/research something and find out how interested you are before making such a huge life decision. Besides, memorizing the Top 200 is extremely easy. UNDERSTANDING them is better.
Teach yourself slowly, learn them to the point that it is second nature. Then build upon that to where you have a database in your head and can connect drugs to each other. Research all the characteristics of drugs so that you won't have to kill yourself learning just the basics.
I have yet to be accepted (but I will be) and I will have set myself up for a better learning experience and hopefully can help others in my class learn about pharmacy. I want a CAREER. To excel at a career, you must strive to do your best.
I look at it this way, if you head into pharmacy school and can't tell someone anything about a single drug, then you have a problem. How can you decide on a career when you have no interest in the material?
For anyone in the future that reads this post, I will leave a little interesting subject matter to get you started if you haven't already.
A VERY IMPORTANT Top 200 drug is Warfarin. It's Brand Name is Coumadin. It was originally used as RAT POISON and is now used to treat or prevent Blood Clots in Human Beings.
Another interesting one that is irrelevant but still interesting to me.
Nystatin, introduced in 1954 as an antifungal drug, was named after the New York State Institute of Health.
You can link all these with simple little tricks.
Amitriptyline (Elavil), I was in a class and someone mentioned how they remembered this. (Amitriptyline is an anti-depressant)
The Phrase "I'm a trippin on elavil"
Translates to "Amitriptyline on Elavil"
Really dumb, but it serves its purpose.
Anyways, yes, it can be very important.
Is that true about Nystatin? That's pretty interesting.
Also, Coumadin does not treat blod clots, it only prevents them. Coumadin will not help with already formed clots. I know you may be using it in the since that people who have clots may be put on the medication for "treatment" but I just wanted to put it out there that Coumadin will not treat already formed clots.
From Clinical Pharmacology:
Since warfarin does not affect the activity of synthesized coagulation factors, depletion of these mature factors through normal catabolism and replacement by newly synthesized dysfunctional vitamin K-dependent clotting factors must occur before therapeutic effects of warfarin are seen.... As a result, 34 days of therapy may be required before a complete clinical response to any one dosage is seen. Since warfarin reduces the activity of anticoagulant proteins C and S, a hypercoagulable state may be induced for a short period of time after treatment with warfarin is started. The rapid loss of protein C temporarily shifts the balance in favor of clotting until sufficient time has passed for warfarin to decrease the activity of coagulant factors.
Yup, Page 429, American Medical Association Guide to Over-The-Counter Drugs.
"Introduced in 1954, the antifungal drug nystatin was named after the New York Institute of Health, where it was developed."
On the Coumadin Fact, I read it off of RxList.
http://www.rxlist.com/coumadin-drug.htm
"This medication is used to treat blood clots (such as in deep vein thrombosis-DVT or pulmonary embolus-PE) and/or to prevent new clots from forming in your body. Preventing harmful blood clots helps to reduce the risk of a stroke or heart attack. Conditions that increase your risk of developing blood clots include a certain type of irregular heart rhythm (atrial fibrillation), heart valve replacement, recent heart attack, and certain surgeries (such as hip/knee replacement).
Warfarin is commonly called a "blood thinner," but its more correct term is "anticoagulant." It helps to keep blood flowing smoothly in your body by decreasing the amount of certain substances (clotting proteins) in your blood."
Please let me know if I am reading this wrong. I don't want to have my facts wrong.
"Introduced in 1954, the antifungal drug nystatin was named after the New York Institute of Health, where it was developed."
On the Coumadin Fact, I read it off of RxList.
http://www.rxlist.com/coumadin-drug.htm
"This medication is used to treat blood clots (such as in deep vein thrombosis-DVT or pulmonary embolus-PE) and/or to prevent new clots from forming in your body. Preventing harmful blood clots helps to reduce the risk of a stroke or heart attack. Conditions that increase your risk of developing blood clots include a certain type of irregular heart rhythm (atrial fibrillation), heart valve replacement, recent heart attack, and certain surgeries (such as hip/knee replacement).
Warfarin is commonly called a "blood thinner," but its more correct term is "anticoagulant." It helps to keep blood flowing smoothly in your body by decreasing the amount of certain substances (clotting proteins) in your blood."
Please let me know if I am reading this wrong. I don't want to have my facts wrong.
Your reading skills are impeccable, but they are not using the term treatment correctly. Where they say "and/or" it should say "and". Coumadin affects the synthesis of new clotting factors only and takes about three days to reach full therapeutic effects. I think what they might be trying to say is that people who get DVTs (for example) will be put on Coumadin as part of their treatment (this is par for the course when dealing with anyone who gets a clot). But it does not treat current clots. It all relates to the clotting cascade and Vitamin K. I don't fully understand it myself. But they will not break a clot, they only prevent new ones.
If you are interested, look up the clotting cascade. Pay special attention to the role Vitamin K plays. It gets complicated quick. lol
Can you access Clinical Pharmacology or Micromedex? I don't know of any better drug information resources, they are both top notch.
Not to mention that the Top 200 is constantly changing. And there are two Top 200 lists - one for number of doses dispensed/prescriptions written, and another for dollar amount in sales.
There are many Top 200 drugs that were not on the market when I was in school in the early 1990s, and many that were on the list back then that are rarely used now, dipyridamole and cefixime being the first that come to mind.
@owlegrad
Thanks for the clarification. Your level of understanding is way above mine at this point. I'll read up more on it over the weekend but it is my bed time (I'm getting old, lmao).
I wish I had access to those. I'm starting my BS in Biology this Fall @ UNC-CH. Still in pre-pharmacy.
I'll have to research it more.
A few more interesting facts:
Benzodiazepines can cause both drowsiness and IBS(!)
Digoxin (Lanoxin) is a form of digitalis, a drug extracted from the leaves of the foxglove plant. It is given in the treatment of congestive heart failure and certain alterations of heart rhythm.
Thanks for the clarification. Your level of understanding is way above mine at this point. I'll read up more on it over the weekend but it is my bed time (I'm getting old, lmao).
I wish I had access to those. I'm starting my BS in Biology this Fall @ UNC-CH. Still in pre-pharmacy.
I'll have to research it more.
A few more interesting facts:
Benzodiazepines can cause both drowsiness and IBS(!)
Digoxin (Lanoxin) is a form of digitalis, a drug extracted from the leaves of the foxglove plant. It is given in the treatment of congestive heart failure and certain alterations of heart rhythm.
Another interesting one that is irrelevant but still interesting to me.
Nystatin, introduced in 1954 as an antifungal drug, was named after the New York State Institute of Health.Ansaid (flurbiprofen) was named that because it was "another nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug."
Miltown (meprobamate) got its name because it was tested in some of the mill towns on the East Coast.
The launch of Cialis was delayed by about a year because a family with the last name Cialis sued the drug company to change the name. They obviously lost.
p.s. The best way to learn your drugs is to get a job in a pharmacy! It can be retail, hospital, mail order, institutional, etc. but there is no other substitute for learning what does what. I for one could not have made it without that knowledge.
What year are you? Oh, trust me, you'll have kinetics.
Another interesting one that is irrelevant but still interesting to me.
Nystatin, introduced in 1954 as an antifungal drug, was named after the New York State Institute of Health.Yeah, working in a pharmacy would be the best way... but there are some others, not as good as pharmacy though.Ansaid (flurbiprofen) was named that because it was "another nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug."
Miltown (meprobamate) got its name because it was tested in some of the mill towns on the East Coast.
The launch of Cialis was delayed by about a year because a family with the last name Cialis sued the drug company to change the name. They obviously lost.
p.s. The best way to learn your drugs is to get a job in a pharmacy! It can be retail, hospital, mail order, institutional, etc. but there is no other substitute for learning what does what. I for one could not have made it without that knowledge.
I'm kinda glad I finished my biochem degree. During some of my major-related classes, I learned about some unique features of drugs and their biochemical relativity in vitro and in vivo. Clinical Biochem as an elective also helped heh
It's all an act.
You'll do great. I think this site is pretty good, considering Clin. Pharm. is out:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0000634
Word of caution: They also reference warfarin being used to treat DVTs and the like. It's standard of care, but does not help with the current clot, it is a preventative measure only. Clot busters are pretty interesting also, mostly because you have to be so careful about using them. Very strict guidelines.
It's not really a matter of "not bothering," it's a question of a more effective use of your time. I started memorizing brand/generic/indication before pharmacy school, and it was useless to me because the information was just memorization. Now, if you're in a pharmacy and you're seeing these drugs and you get a top 200 list and start to figure out which ones are more important, that makes sense, but just hammering off the list so you can say you know the top 200 drugs isn't going to help you.
Agreed. This was what I meant to get across. I work in a retail pharmacy and do this by bouncing my memory off of the pharmacists. However, I started with developing my recognition of brand to generic.
What I am saying is, it should be clear that once you have a basic understanding/identification of the many widely used prescription drugs, then you build upon that with more information.
By starting small, I have linked many top 200 drugs to others and then added little bits of information (including what you have stated) until it is second nature. That is all I am trying to say.
Basically, if you know omeprazole is generic prilosec, but don't know the function, then it is useless. However, by linking the two together in the beginning, you can knock out two indications with one step because you understand that these are the generic and brand.
Good points on your part. Thanks for clarifying.
It also is a lot easier to remember facts about drugs (including side effects and monitoring) once you have a good understanding of how they actually work in the body. This doesn't just mean what the drugs treat, but what receptors they effect and if there are any sites other than the target. Knowing that metoclopramide (Reglan) can cause tremor and restlessness doesn't make sense if you just know it works for diabetic gastroparesis, but it does when you understand how it affects dopamine receptors and your body's response to that.
I also think memorizing the top 200 drugs (or any amount of drugs) before pharmacy school isn't the best use of your time. Learn about what it's like to actually work in a pharmacy, volunteer, do well in your classes, get involved in extracurriculars, etc instead. These things make you a better applicant and can help you figure out if pharmacy is for you. Pharmacy isn't just about finding medications interesting. There are other ways you can work with medications if you like learning about them; if you don't like actually practicing pharmacy you will probably be limited with your degree.
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Agreed. I think I am just going to leave it where it is. I don't think I am making my point clear enough. I am not saying that they should definitely focus on learning the top 200 by name. Both of you have just described what I have been trying to say throughout this thread.
You are just adding more qualifiers. You both are correct but understand that I am talking very basic here. When I mention that you should add upon something, that is exactly what I mean by conditions related, how it works in the body, etc.
I think learning in a practice setting also helps you figure out which are important to know, and which aren't. For instance, how often does someone ask for Endocet? What about Tenormin, or Glucophage? These are brand names for top 200 drugs, but they aren't crucial to have off the top of your head because in the case of Endocet another brand (Percocet) is more common and the other two are more frequently called by their generic names (atenolol and metformin).
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