Career Advice MEGA - Courses and Careers related to Drugs

Wow, that sounds like an awesome job!! psychopharmacology. . . hmmm
 
You could go to mexico, join a tribe, and access the role as the shaman of that tribe ;).
 
Manne said:
Now, is there any psychopharms out there? If so, what's the job entail, how is it, etc. I'm interested in perhaps studying in this field, just because I'm fascinated by the effects of a substance to temporarily or permanently affects one's mind and set.

Bliz0r is doing his PhD in this field, check out AdvancedDD for an idea on what he does :)
 
The 'I Want To Be A Pharm Tech' Q&A Thread [MERGED]

I want to engineer psychiatric medicines. No, I don't want to create LSD in a basement or synthesize meth. I'm talking strictly legit drug-making.

What do I need to study? I'm doing a B.Sc in Biology, but from then on I'm not so sure what to continue into (what to do my graduate studies in.) Biochemistry? Neurosciences? Neurobiochemistry?
 
i don't know how it's called in your country, but over here you can study pharm. tech, or just medicine and later progress to pharm.
 
How about looking at that other forum specifically created for college and university questions, eh?
 
I attended Rutgers University which supposedly has a top-notch pharmaceutical program. A very close friend of mine is busy working in the areas of your interest and he went through with the standard, run-of-mill pharmacy program. I suggest researching some schools that offer pharmacy programs and start from there.

Also, if your interests are in the actual synthesis of these chemical agents, well my hats off to your ambition. Your looking at a long hard road ahead of ya.....

P.S. In terms of pharmacy school, there really isn't a undergrad/grad progression most of us are familiar with. It is a 6 year program and then your finished. However, like I said if your going for the more Research/Development route where you are physically creating these drugs, your looking at a much more extended period of time. (Mostly in terms of work experience.)
 
These definitions may help...

A Neurologist studies the nervous system and the diseases thereof. This study has absolutely nothing to do with creating drugs.

A Biochemist usually researches things like protiens and metabolism and DNA (boring, IMO). I guess there is a bridge between this profession and the ones below.

A Pharmacologist researches the effects of chemicals that have already been made on animals. Of course, a neuropharmacologist specializes in studying drugs that effect the nervous system. This is where a focus on Biology will likely take you. Someone who is strictly a pharmacologist is not allowed to synthesize drugs or operate a pharmacy, as far as I know.

A Pharmacy Technician is a pharamcist's bitch (see below). :D

A Pharmacist, by most definitions, is someone who has the knowledge of a pharmacologist but is licensed to operate a pharmacy, order and dispense drugs...etc. Note that in my part of the world (canada), a degree in "pharmacy" also implies certification in medical chemistry (see below).

A "Medical Chemist" (as is called in some places) is a chemist (usually organic, see below) who specifically engineers chemicals to be researched by, and based on research already done by, pharmacologists.

An Organic Chemist/Engineer is someone who synthesizes organic compounds. If none of the above is appealing or available, this is probably the most straightforward route to synthesizing drugs legitimately.

Here in canada, the closest University s the University of Toronto, which offers a degree in "Pharmacy" whose graduates are called "pharmacists" (by the definition above) and who have training as both pharmacologists and medical chemists.
 
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I don't believe 247's looking for a pharmacy program. Pharmacy is BORING with a capital B. After graduation, you should look for an organic chemistry or more specifically medicinal chemistry masters/PhD program. And when you find a good one, let me know.

edit: good call on the M.C., jamshyd
 
247 said:
I want to engineer psychiatric medicines. No, I don't want to create LSD in a basement or synthesize meth. I'm talking strictly legit drug-making.

What do I need to study? I'm doing a B.Sc in Biology, but from then on I'm not so sure what to continue into (what to do my graduate studies in.) Biochemistry? Neurosciences? Neurobiochemistry?

Biochemistry is good. For the most part it will give you the same training as a regular chemist but there will be less emphasis on physical chemistry and more time spent on studying biological systems. I must warn you though that while the training to do such things is not that prohibited, actually getting a job at the end of it all in the said field will be nowhere like as accessible, due to the limited number of places available.
 
A Pharmacist, by most definitions, is someone who has the knowledge of a pharmacologist but is licensed to operate a pharmacy, order and dispense drugs...etc. Note that in my part of the world (canada), a degree in "pharmacy" also implies certification in medical chemistry (see below).


While pharmacists do study pharmacology as part of their degree, they don't know anything like as much about pharmacology as a pharmacologist. Equally they study medicinal chemistry, but are not in the same league as someone studying organic chemistry and specializing in medicinal chemistry. They are more like 'jacks of all trades, but masters of none'. To a certain degree (no pun intended) their course is heavily structured towards the practicalities of supplying drugs to patients (law & ethics, a pit of p/cology, a bit of med chem & some pharmaceutics - studies of things like stability of emulsions & the best way of creating them).

Part of the reason for answering this is that my wife did a pharmacology degree (and got a 1st), but despite being far more knowledgeable about pharmacology, pharmacy students tended to behave like they were a breed apart and look down their noses at the other life science degrees that they shared lectures with (behaviour encouraged by some arsehole elitest lecturers). It was as if the whole univerity life science dept was arranged around their needs and all the other plebs had to be fitted in around them. As my wife would sometimes comment (in a rather loud voice) when pharmacy students were around,"it's not proper fucking science, they're just training to be glorified shopkeepers that happen to dish out drugs"!

Best of all, everyone would generally start laughing & nodding their heads (other than said pharmacy students). The way some of them behaved, you'd think they were traing to be gods on earth as opposed to 'glorified shopkeepers"...
 
Study up on some psychopharmacology my friend! Thats a start. I mean sure Pharamacology works.. but since you want to study psychiatric medications, and other brain alterting medications, psychopharmacology is a good start. There are plenty of different areas in the field. blah blah blah..

I'm unsure of schools. well, theres plenty. My brain is to stoned right now to work.
 
Major in Chemistry.It's all memorization,but you got to know it like the back of your hand.The hardest part,to me,about getting into pharmacy school was learnign all the chemistry.Once you get through that clinical pharmacology isn't so bad.
 
F&B: LMAO! I am not surprised at all to hear this.

I guess my definition is an idealized one. I propose, then, that a Pharmacist is someone whose ego has been inflated by indoctrination into the system of prohibitive drug control, thus giving a false sense of power/knowledge ;).
 
PureLife said:
Study up on some psychopharmacology my friend! Thats a start. I mean sure Pharamacology works.. but since you want to study psychiatric medications, and other brain alterting medications, psychopharmacology is a good start. There are plenty of different areas in the field. blah blah blah..

I'm unsure of schools. well, theres plenty. My brain is to stoned right now to work.

Then post ANYTHING if your brain is to fried to function correctly? I'm just curious to know that? If I'm to high to help on a subject I just keep my mouth shut or in this case my fingers off the damn keyboard.

If I am high andposting I try to be helpful and creative... I don't just surrender the situation to my high, usually.
 
Chemistry all the way buddy! You're gonna have to do a lot of Ochem (should be your speciality) if you're going into synthesis in pharmaceuticals... unless you're doing gene-therapy drugs, in which case Molecular Biology or something along that line should be good. You'll also want to get into grad school unless you want to be a lab tech for years and years, following instructions from the guy with the PhD or the years and years of experience
 
I'd maybe suggest a combined science/engineering degree.

Majoring in Organic Chemistry/Pharmacology combined with Chemical Engineering. The Chem Eng isn't specifically what you are looking for, but will give you a much wider knowledge of problem solving and industrial systems. A lot of Chem Eng graduates go and work for pharmaceutical companies in manufacture or R&D.

Organic Chem and Pharmacology will definitely help as posted above :)

CB :)
 
veterinarians are always looking for assistants. always. and they're always losing drugs. good thing they RARELY get audited. Your typical vet will always have several forms of iv morphine, possibly fentanyl, but (butorphine), and if the clinic a little old-fashioned, they'll still use ketamine.

you ever see an animal undergo ketamine anesthetic and recovery? that's one reason it will never enter my body.
 
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