/r/pharmacology

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News, peer-reviewed academic articles, and discussion of pharmacology & toxicology, with a particular focus on new drugs.

News, peer-reviewed academic articles, and discussion of pharmacology & toxicology, with a particular focus on new drugs.

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/r/pharmacology

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0

T2DM Medication

Hi everyone!

I‘m trying to understand which type 2 diabetes medications are glucose-dependent and which are not. I know GLP-1 agonists/enhancers are, while sulfonylureas are not. However, I‘m unclear about other classes of medications. Can someone help clarify the glucose dependency status for the following:

  • Glitazones (Thiazolidinediones)
  • Metformin
  • Alpha-Glucosidase-Inhibitors (e.g., Acarbose)
  • SGLT-2 Inhibitors

Thanks in advance for your help!

7 Comments
2024/06/27
17:31 UTC

0

Are there any online pharmacology degrees that offer scholarships?

Yes, I know pharmacology is a full-time, professional course that generally shouldnt be done online like business. I apologize in advance because its probably disrespectful.

For background = I am a veterinary student in 2nd year. And I really love pharmacology and would like to pursue it as a 2nd degree - except I prefer not to sacrifice another 3-4 years to study it (I am passionate but I am also 19 years old and not willing to graduate into the workfield at 27)- Besides, I am interested in independent drug research so having qualifications and the educations wll help ; since I highly doubt my 1 year veterinary pharmacology will enable me do drug research later on.

As for the academic burden, though it's cocky, i know, but there is minimal burden to me - I am getting >3.9-4.0 CGPA with little to no effort - I find it impossible to fail even if I try. And because of that I have a lot of time on my hands that ends up going to waste - Instead I can use the extra 6-8 hours that I have daily to study a pharmacology degree. I am aware that I need practical pharmacology experience, and Im sure thats the main barrier that prevents pharmacology from being an online degree.

But it doesnt hurt to ask. It's pretentious but just honour a request - I already know its dumb to search for an online degree for a professional pharmacology course.

So anyways are there any free online courses offering a pharmacology degree 3-4 years long?

4 Comments
2024/06/23
12:19 UTC

1

A purported past anaphylaxis following the administration of IV. iron. Is there any risk with oral preparations?

I was wondering if prescribing standard oral iron tablets puts a patient at any risk? I know the oral preparations are chemically different from intravenous ones so my intuition is that there shouldn't be any risk at all.

Would anyone know of any sources that tackle the subject? Thanks in advance

4 Comments
2024/06/17
06:26 UTC

10

How do cold temperatures damage medications?

Most medications have storage instructions that say "store between 68-77F (20-25C)".

It makes sense that heat would speed up the degradation processes for medications generally, but what happens to medications below the recommended storage temperature? Why is the lower temperature limit set so high? The only things I can think of are freezing damage (for medications that have any liquid component) and condensation.

Freezing of course would only matter below 0C/32F unless the medication has some weird liquid (i.e. not water) as its base. 32F is of course way below 68F, allowing way more leeway than the standard storage instructions say.

Maybe some meds can undergo phase changes at lower temperatures specifically? But is this really common enough to set a lower bound of 68F for nearly ALL medications, rather than the few (I assume) that work like that?

As for condensation, if the medication bottle was closed under dry conditions (i.e. a low dewpoint), it seems like 68F is overkill for the lower bound and it's possible to go quite a lot lower. Is this true? If it's a manufacturer sealed bottle is it possible that it was bottled under high humidity conditions? I've heard of medications being bottled with inert gases, which I assume would practically eliminate the possibility of condensation for unopened bottles. How common is it to NOT do this? And even then, for bottles that are sealed with inert gases, why do the labels nearly always have the same generic "store between 68-77F (20-25C)" instructions?

8 Comments
2024/06/12
04:36 UTC

5

Droperidol for sedation in serotonin syndrome

I'm wondering if the minor serotonergic activity of droperidol may impact a patient who is already experiencing serotonin syndrome when attempting sedation (to control hyperthermia). I know droperidol's main action is as a dopamine antagonist however I'm unsure whether the actions on serotonin should factor in to my decision making significantly?

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4883185/

This is the best evidence I could find but it really just sounds like a "we don't know yet but it doesn't seem like it matters"... is that the correct conclusion to draw here?

3 Comments
2024/06/11
00:02 UTC

2

Terminology for Pharmacology Help

I am currently going to school for medical coding and and the pharmacology piece is killing my test scores. I have a Medical Terminology book through Medical Creations that breaks down medical words into definitions from their prefix, roots and suffixes. I googled for something similar as it relates to pharmacology and all I really found was information breaking down suffixes for generic drug names. Does anyone else know of other resources that will also break down the scientific terms for drugs? I don't really know how I am supposed to memorize these terms when I can't even pronounce most of them. Please help.

2 Comments
2024/06/10
22:03 UTC

6

Working conditions for a clinical pharmacologist

What are the working conditions for a clinical pharmacologist? What are the working hours and what is the workload like?

0 Comments
2024/06/08
17:48 UTC

1

I'm unsure whether to pursue an MD or a PhD as a postgraduate degree

I'm in my second year of biochemistry undergrad and I want to become a pharmacologist. Instead of getting a PhD, I want to pursue an MD, I've also heard of MDs specifically in pharmacology. My question is would it be advisable to pursue an MD instead of getting a PhD as I want to specialise in clinical pharmacology.

Another question, I'm also really passionate about oncology. Is there such a thing as oncological pharmacology? If so, would an oncological pharmacologist work in a hospital environment.

3 Comments
2024/06/08
17:46 UTC

2

Selectivity for histamine receptors

What is the difference (example in burimamide) to have selectivity for h2 instead for h1?

4 Comments
2024/06/05
13:24 UTC

6

What neurotransmitter binds to Sigma receptors?

Can't find any clear answers, to the natural compound in our brains that binds to Sigma.I know various drugs bind to it, but not the neurotransmitter that naturally uses this receptor

8 Comments
2024/06/04
19:09 UTC

2

Questions for research paper?

I'm working on a research paper revolving around the potency and lethality of Fentanyl, but I've hit a serious roadblock. One of the questions I'm seeking to answer specifically is the speed of onset of deadly overdose symptoms like respiratory and cardiac depression after exposure and how dosage might affect that. I've been using my college's database resources, but am coming up short on firm answers aside from that it's faster than heroin or morphine, and higher doses might to some degree accelerate overdose symptoms. Does anyone know of any studies done on this subject, or is there any concrete data about it? Where might I go or who might I want to contact to find this information?

This is mostly a personal project. I'm not personally pursuing pharmacology, though I am somewhat versed in human biology/anatomy/physiology, so layman's terms are appreciated. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with this paper once its done, but I really want to put it out in the world to help those with the same questions I had.

1 Comment
2024/06/04
04:03 UTC

5

Methotrexate, anemia, and the anti-inflamatory effect

Hi everyone, I was studying methotrexate and got some troubles understanding its mechanism and how this can produce anemia but at the same time control imflamation.

Correct me if I'm wrong but in a few words:

-MTX inhibits DHFR and AICART therefore diminishes the synthesis of nucleotides. AICART inhibition would lead to accumulation of adenosine (by inhibition of adenosine deaminase) and its realese from cell, thus activating adenosine receptor on lymphocites and reducing inflamatory response (that'is why is used in arthritis right?).

-How is the inhibition of DHFR and AICART related to anemia? more like, how are folates related to the production of eritrocites ?

Thank you in advance, and sorry for the grammar, I'm a spanish speaker

1 Comment
2024/06/02
14:51 UTC

9

Are non-competitive antagonists technically the same thing as Negative Allosteric Modulators?

Thats all, Title says it all. Thanks :)

5 Comments
2024/05/30
14:28 UTC

6

Why is Clomipramine's starting Dose 25mg when

A 10mg dose results in an 80% SERT occupancy, and any further increases are essentially fine tuning of that ammount?

4 Comments
2024/05/30
04:01 UTC

14

Thinking about pursuing a PhD in pharmacology

Hi,

I graduated a few months ago with a BS in Biochemistry and for the last almost three years of undergrad I was a student in a lab that did a lot of preclinical trials using in vivo modeling. The lab had multiple PI’s all of whom had their PhD in pharmacology. I really learned a lot there, and it’s made me want to pursue a PhD in pharmacology in a few years after I’ve built more of a resume by working. Currently I’m working on a science support team that works with the in vivo models at a very reputable non-profit research institute.

The thing is I’ve got no interest in working in academia, and I’ve been told pharmacology is a bit antiquated and the more innovative field to go into would be immunology. Is that really the case? I know my university lab was pretty awesome but I don’t really want my next 30 years of career availability to be on the decline.

So bottom line: Is what I heard about immunology being more innovative than pharmacology true?

Are job prospects long term relatively safe?

What kind of salary would I expect to have with a PhD in industry?

Thanks!

12 Comments
2024/05/25
14:14 UTC

6

Clinical trials databases

Hi all, I’m looking for databases for clinical trials of new compounds where I could sort them by mechanism of action. I’m specifically interested in analgesics undergoing phase 2&3 sorted by effect they make on different receptors, like Na channel blockers, K channel activators. Are you aware of such bases? Or maybe you can recommend me some other way to get such info

2 Comments
2024/05/21
19:22 UTC

3

Xylazine & Atipamezole - question for human pharm people

In vetmed we regularly use both xylazine and medetomidine/dexmedetomidine as part of our anaesthesia protocols, in part because we have a direct reversal agent (a2 antagonist) atipamezole. I've been reading about the xylazine laced narcotics phenomenon and it seems human med doesn't have an equivalent a2 antagonist.

I was wondering is there a reason for this? Is it unsafe or contraindicated to use an a2 antagonist in humans? Or does the product just not exist yet as the need did not exist prior?

1 Comment
2024/05/20
22:43 UTC

7

Are all tyrosine kinase inhibitors immunosuppressive?

Hi guys! I am having a hard time getting my head around this. Always thought tyrosine kinase is like a "on, off" switch for certain cells but all the Tyrosine kinase inhibitors I can find seem also to be immunosuppressants?

Thanks in advance!

1 Comment
2024/05/16
10:26 UTC

1

Automated structure effect simulator

Hello scientists, please forgive me my english skills. Im not a native speaker.

Im studying pharmacy (beginner) and i am very interested in chemical strukture effect relations. Is there an application that lets me put in a chemical formula and send me back results, on with receptor the molecule is able to bind? (Mot precise, more of a rough prediction)

I know about swiss-ADME but it doesnt really tell me specific pharmacodynamic propertys. Now with the uprise of ai, im sure there are people trying to train the ai on 3d protein structures for the named purpose.

Thanks for reading this far! Im happy to hear your feedback

1 Comment
2024/05/15
17:05 UTC

5

CBG pharmacodynamics paper discussion

Hey all!

I've made a post on a CBG paper and was hoping for some discussion on two other subreddits, however there was not much engagement. I hope you guys here would be more interested in this! I cannot crosspost, because I originally posted on 18+ (cannabis related) subs. I'm on my phone and reformatting is no option, I hope sharing the link is ok. Would love to have a bit of a discussion :)

https://www.reddit.com/r/altcannabinoids/s/1IXdnOYAjY

5 Comments
2024/05/15
11:24 UTC

7

Good high-school level pharma books?

Hi, I'm a Year 12 student in the UK and I'm interested in doing pharmacology at university. My school is telling me I should do wider reading around the subject however I can't find any good books that aren't either textbooks or about recreational drugs in general. Would anyone be able to recommend a book for me? I'm more interested in the molecular side of things so something pharmacokinetics/dynamics-related would be nice.

8 Comments
2024/05/12
10:20 UTC

5

Seeking help on a book list for pharmacology freshmen

Hi redditors, I plan to read pharmacology/pharmaceutical science course as an undergraduate student next year. As I wish to prepare myself with some prior knowledge in the field during the gap year, May I know if you can share any book(s) on pharmaceutical science? It would be the best case if you could label the difficulty level of the books recommended. Thank you very much.

2 Comments
2024/05/12
10:11 UTC

7

Could Naloxone theoretically counteract the effects of Salvinorin A?

Assuming we have pure Salvinorin A agonizing the kappa receptor, could Naloxone possibly mitigate or “counteract” the agonism of Salvinorin A. with its antagonism of the kappa receptor? I’m mainly asking this as Salvinorin A, present in Salvia, is somewhat commonly used recreationally, and has been known to give very intense and “bad” trips to inexperienced individuals. If Naloxone could counteract this, a lot of bad trips could be saved.

19 Comments
2024/05/10
17:45 UTC

6

A highschool student's question on film coating of tablets.

Hi. I'm currently planning to start a research project for my chemistry class to investigate how changing the percentage composition of polymer in the film coating of a tablet affect its solubility. Im planning to coat sugar or aspirin tablets in a coating, but do not have access to a pan-coating drum or any industrial apparatus.
Can i just crudely dip the tablets in the coating solution for a period of time? Should I put it in a spray bottle and spray it on the tablets? Any guidance will be appreciated. Thanks!!

2 Comments
2024/05/10
05:20 UTC

4

Is Ractopamine a hormone?

I have been reading up on the veterinary drug Ractopamine and its usage in animal husbandry. 

During my reading, I have frequently encountered the assertions that:

  1. No hormones are permitted in pork
  2. Ractopamine is permitted in pork as growth-promotant but is not a hormone

What is the logic behind deeming ractopamine to be non-hormonal? Ractopamine is a B-adrenergic, meaning it targets the adrenaline receptor. The native ligand, adrenaline, is universally accepted to be a hormone. If ractopamine works by binding to the receptor for a hormone, why is ractopamine not a hormone? Obviously, ractopamine is not a “growth hormone” (which are all polypeptides), nor is it a steroid, which are tetracylic lipid small molecules like androgens and estrogens. “Hormone”, however, refers to any substance used for cell signaling purposes, typically through a hormone receptor such as the B2-adrenergic receptor.

Further, ractopamine and adrenaline bear obvious structural similarities as aminoethyl phenols compounds.

What do you think?

8 Comments
2024/05/09
13:37 UTC

17

LSD used to be considered a serotonin antagonist?

When reading old studies on LSD, it is referred to as a peripheral 5-HT (serotonin) antagonist. I came across this excerpt from an article by Dr. Ray Peat:

I'm trying to understand if this is pseudoscience and if the understanding of LSD has changed through the years, since we now consider LSD to be a 5-HT receptor agonist. Is there validity to the excerpt above?

A more general question that might be relevant is, can a drug that is antagonistic in peripheral receptors be agonistic at CNS receptors?

EDIT: quotations have been removed so you can read the article here https://raypeat.com/articles/articles/serotonin-disease-aging-inflammation.shtml

7 Comments
2024/05/06
20:20 UTC

3

Tianeptine effects on dopamine

Hi all, I still don't understand what's the relationship between tianeptine and dopamine. does the molecule increase or decrease its levels? this study claims one thing:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11981225/

"However, TIA and FLU induced a decrease in the level of mRNA encoding for dopamine D(2) receptors"

while Wikipedia claims another. I quote verbatim from the wiki page: "Tianeptine modestly enhances the mesolimbic release of dopamine[53] and potentiates CNS D2 and D3 receptors.[54] Tianeptine has no affinity for the dopamine transporter or the dopamine receptors.[45] CREB-TF (CREB, cAMP response element-binding protein)[55] is a cellular transcription factor. It binds to certain DNA sequences called cAMP response elements (CRE), thereby increasing or decreasing the transcription of the genes.[56] CREB has a well-documented role in neuronal plasticity and long-term memory formation in the brain. Cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript, also known as CART, is a neuropeptide protein that in humans is encoded by the CARTPT gene.[57][58] CART appears to have roles in reward, feeding, stress,[59] and it has the functional properties of an endogenous psychostimulant.[60] Taking into account that CART production is upregulated by CREB,[61] it could be hypothesized that due to tianeptine's central role in BDNF and neuronal plasticity, this CREB may be the transcription cascade through which this drug enhances mesolimbic release of dopamine"

furthermore, is the activity of the molecule on the mitochondria, the energy centers of the cells, positive or negative?

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2597170/

finally, the molecule is able to increase neuronal plasticity by increasing BDNF, and NGF? thank you all

12 Comments
2024/04/29
23:01 UTC

7

Python or MATLAB for pharmacokinetic models?

Title is explanatory. Which one do I choose?

I'm a student (not in uni yet, school does not have MATLAB license for students). I have no prior coding experience, little experience in differential equations but a fairly decent background in pharmacodynamics.

8 Comments
2024/04/29
05:10 UTC

6

Non specific esterases vs butylcholinesterases

Does any body have any expertise on understanding the genesis or what the differences between plasma cholinesterase or butylcholinesterase with non specific tissue esterases?

For context my textbook says certain drugs are metabolized or ester hydrolyzed by plasma esterases like succinylcholine while certain drugs like esmolol or clevidipine are metabolized by non specific cholinesterases that are in plasma and RBCs.

0 Comments
2024/04/25
18:59 UTC

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