Endocrine Pharmacology and Diabetes

What this unit covers

The unit centres on diabetes drugs, then widens to the rest of the endocrine system. Thyroid medicines, corticosteroids, sex hormones, calcium and bone drugs, and pituitary and adrenal disorders all appear in the list.

Where to start

Begin with the mind map Type of insulin, which sorts insulins into rapid-acting, short-acting, intermediate-acting and long-acting groups, with examples such as insulin lispro, insulin aspart and insulin glargine. Next, open the mind map diabetes. It splits drugs into insulin secretagogues, incretin therapies, insulin sensitizers and those that reduce glucose supply, and it covers sulphonylureas and meglitinides.

Then turn to the flashcards. The deck Diabetes - Type 2 asks you to list modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors and to describe how incretins work.

Using quizzes and maps together

1. Read a mind map and note the branches you could not explain from memory.
2. Take the Anti-Diabetic Drugs Quiz, which asks which drugs are approved for Type 1 diabetes and how incretin hormones like GLP-1 and GIP act.
3. Return to the weak branches, then test yourself again with a flashcard deck.

For thyroid work, the mind map THYROID & ANTITHYROID DRUGS compares levothyroxine and liothyronine, and the deck Thyroid drugs asks how thionamides and beta blockers work in hyperthyroidism. The quiz Obesity Pharmacology covers risk factors, therapy goals and drug classes that can cause weight gain.

Where it fits

This unit sits in the strand Organ Systems, Endocrine and Immune Pharmacology, within the subject Pharmacology. Most items suit university study, and a smaller share suits professional candidates; at least one resource mentions the ExCPT exam.

Choose one drug class, work through its map and quiz, and then make your own flashcards to fill any gaps.