What is pharmacology ?
Pharmacology is the science of how drugs act on different biological systems and how the body responds to the drug.
Is it necessary to study pharmacology ?
Yes, pharmacology is a type of subject that connects physiological, pathological and clinical aspects of a disease. Good understanding on the concepts of pharmacology helps in designing a rational prescription. Insufficient pharmacology knowledge will lead to medication errors which may sometimes have very grave consequences on the professional career of a doctor.
Which textbooks should a medical student refer to study pharmacology ?
Every medical student must choose any 1 standard Indian as well as International textbooks. Newer editions of textbooks must be preferred. My recommendations for undergraduate medical students….
Indian textbooks
Essentials of Medical Pharmacology – by KD Tripathy
Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapeutics – by Satoskar
Principles of Pharmacology – by HL Sharma & KK Sharma
International textbooks
Basic and clinical Pharmacology – Katzung BG, Trevor AJ, Master SB
Rang and Dale’s Pharmacology
Is it necessary to know everything given in the pharmacology textbooks ?
Not necessarily, however every medical student must prioritize certain aspects of pharmacology as the student progresses to higher professional years.
MBBS IInd Professional year – Classification of drugs, Mechanism of drug action, Indications, Adverse effects, Interactions.
MBBS IIIrd Professional year Part 1 & Part 2 – Pharmacokinetic properties with respect to different dosage forms, duration of drug action, therapeutic doses, loading dose and maintenance dose of important drugs, contraindications.
MBBS Internship & Post-graduation – Recent advances in pharmacology, with special focus on updated guidelines (WHO / Indian) on communicable and non-communicable diseases, essential drug lists, drugs withdrawn from the market, drug alerts from CDSCO / PvPI.
Can i get more guidance on the pharmacology subject with respect to important drugs to be remembered under drug classification, important clinical indications, important adverse effects, important interactions, important examination questions etc ?
Yes, please register to “Pharmacology Module“