# Advanced EMT Pharmacology



## Craw (Jan 10, 2012)

Hey guys i just started my Emt Advanced class and im having a tough time reading and understanding the pharmacology chapter. We are using the book Advanced Emergency Care and Transportation of the Sick and Injured. I was hoping someone could give me some tips to gain a better understanding of the chapter.


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## bstone (Jan 10, 2012)

What are you particularly confused about?


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## Craw (Jan 10, 2012)

It's mainly Drug classification, and how they effect the nervous system I think cause I don't understand the first half of the chapter the rest is not falling into place.


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## JPINFV (Jan 10, 2012)

How well do you understand the nervous system in regards of anatomy and physiology?


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## Craw (Jan 10, 2012)

Not to well we didn't go over it in basic and we just had an overview of anatomy and physiology.


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## Nervegas (Jan 10, 2012)

What about it specifcally? Are you talking about parasympathomimetic/sympathomimetic vs parasympatholytic/sympatholytic? Alpha/Beta drugs? Nicotinic vs Muscarinic?


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## 18G (Jan 10, 2012)

Understanding the autonomic nervous system will make learning this stuff multiple times easier. 

If you ask specific questions we will answer and help ya out as much as we can.


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## FlamingFirefox (Jan 10, 2012)

unfortunately,anatomy and physiology in Emt class is practically non-existent. when i did emt,we finished the anatomy chapter in 10 min.:blink:


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## Craw (Jan 10, 2012)

Mainly parasympathomimetic/sympathomimetic vs parasympatholytic/sympatholytic. I think one of my problems is that all the words are overwhelming. I'm so stressed out over it I can't even think of any questions.


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## Craw (Jan 10, 2012)

Also can yall explain the antagonist and the agonists.


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## JPINFV (Jan 11, 2012)

Antagonist: Blocks receptor
Agonist: Activates receptor.


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## jgaddis82 (Jan 11, 2012)

I am studying out of the exact same book. PM me with questions and I will help S  much as I can. I made a 96 on the chapter test and have an AAS IN pharmaceutical technology. Drugs are one thing I'm good at.


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## Nervegas (Jan 11, 2012)

Craw said:


> Mainly parasympathomimetic/sympathomimetic vs parasympatholytic/sympatholytic. I think one of my problems is that all the words are overwhelming. I'm so stressed out over it I can't even think of any questions.




Mimetic = Mimics, AKA agonist on the receptor site.
Lytic = Inhibits, AKA antagonist on the receptor site.


The way I remembered them for medic school was this: parasympathetic = brake pedal (Feed/breed, slows the system down), sympathetic = gas pedal(Fight or Flight, speeds the system up).

So, in a very simple model,

parasympathomimetic = Pushes the brake.
sympathomimetic = Pushes the gas.
parasympatholytic = Takes your foot off the brake.
sympatholytic = Takes your foot off the gas.


Obviously the exact pharmacodynamics and nervous system are more complex than that, but this should help you understand them a little better.


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