Preparing pharmacology for GPAT

Pharmacology is a very important subject for every GPAT aspirant. About 30 % questions of GPAT are from Pharmacology. Again you may attempt some questions of Medicinal chemistry on having sound knowledge of Pharmacology.

How to prepare for Pharmacology in GPAT

1)    Most important thing is you must remember all the classification. If you have correctly mastered all the classifications in Pharmacology I assure you, you will be able to solve at least 3-4 questions in the GPAT paper. Many students have problem in remembering the classification. I will suggest all of you to make codes for all the classification so that you can easily recall and revise the classification. For example the classification of anticholinergic drugs is as follows

Classification of anticholinergic drugs

    i.            Natural alkaloids: Atropine, Hyoscine

  ii.            Semisynthetic derivatives: Atropine Methonitrate, Homatropine, Hyoscine butyl bromide, Ipratropium bromide, Tiotropium Bromide (AHITH)

iii.            Synthetic compounds: ( MAVA )

a.     Mydriatics: Cyclopentolate, Tropicamide

b.     Antisecretory-antispasmodics

c.      Quaternary compounds: Propanthaline,Clidimium, Oxyphenonium , Pipenzolate methyl bromide, Isopropamide, Glycopyrolate ( PCO PIG )

d.     Tertiary amines: Dicyclomine, Valethamate, Pirenzepine

e.      Vasicoselective: Oxybutynin, Flavoxate, Tolterodine

f.       Antiparkinsonian: Trihexyphenidyl, Procyclidine, Biperidin

Here to remember the names of Semisynthetic derivatives you can use the code AHITH each letter representing the first alphabet of the five drugs in this category. Similarly to remember the drugs of Quaternary compounds the code PCOPIG may be used. Again to remember the subclasses of Synthetic compounds the code MAVA can be used.

In a similar fashion you can make codes for all the classes. In my coming posts I will mention all the codes that I used to remember the classification in cology. Another benefit of such an approach is that it will allow you to revise all the classification in very short span of time. This will help you a lot at the end stages of your GPAT preparation.

2)    You should also remember the mechanism of action of all the drugs. You can expect 2-3 questions on mechanism in GPAT paper. The reason I mentioned it in second point is that if you have mastered the classification you may succeed in solving the questions on mechanism too. Suppose you have remembered the classification of anticancer drugs and mechanism of action of letrozole is asked. You can easily tell that it is an aromatase inhibitor as in the classification it is subclass of aromatase inhibitor. This trick at least worked for me in GPAT 2010.

3)    Though in my opinion a serious aspirant for gate should prepare all the chapters mentioned in the GPAT syllabus in case you are short of time important topics are Anticancer drugs-One question is asked for sure every year, Antihypertensive drugs, Aminoglycoside antibiotics and diuretics.

But my advice would be that you prepare all the chapters.

4)    Drug interaction is also very important. You can read the interactions from KDT where a table of interactions is given at last. In sixth edition it is on page 892-894.

5)    Side effects of drugs are also important and are generally asked in papers. Thus read all significant and unique side effects of important drugs. Do not concentrate on common side effects like headache, body pain etc.