“Drug reactions can be unpredictable, rare, and can vary from patient to patient. That’s what makes them idiosyncratic – we don’t know what causes it.”
That’s the first thing I hear after walking into BIOMD202, and I start to wonder if I’m on drugs as I’ve missed half of this lecture trying to find MSB 1.05, which took me roughly an hour. Waikato University, you need to give this classroom a decent godforsaken sign so we know where it is.
This is a new class to Waikato University, instated in the big ‘26, and it’s reflected in the slideshow we’ve been presented with. This has to be the most boring and bland set of slides I’ve ever seen in my life, and definitely NOT suited for a class all about drugs. I reckon some nice flashing colours, a couple of rainbow spirals, and this slideshow will be a great experience for all 10 students sitting in the room with me.
The lecturer definitely knows what she’s talking about, not that there’s a lot of engagement from the class; so far, she’s asked two questions about drug interactions, which my best friend/the nerd next to me has answered. She asks; How does [insert long, complicated drug name here] react with [insert over the counter drug here] that the patient didn’t disclose, and what warning signs should you be looking for? Answer: Pulmonary embolism, shortness of breath and chest pains. If there was ever a good reason to tell a doctor about those antihistamines and edibles I took last week, that was most certainly it. I’m glad she reminded the med students to monitor a patient’s side effects of the drugs they take, because that feels like a very important step in the process of administering drugs.
In a strange turn of pace, she brings up… What the hell is an enzyme seduction? Oh, sorry, induction? That’s strange. I wonder if these med students know something I don’t, but I can’t let on; they’ll sniff out my arts degree and rip me to shreds, with those condescending looks of theirs. Whatever it is, she has not explained it very well, and- OH MY GOD. AI SPOTTED IN THE POWERPOINT. This is NOT okay, NOT OKAY AT ALL. Yup, they definitely know I’m an arts student now.
After recovering from that traumatising observation, I hear her remind the students that “Patients should be informed at all times.” Uhh yes, isn’t that like the law? I know that Dr House never obeys them, but he has that sexy cane giving him a pass. Following this, I learned that we have a national drug interaction checker in this country that all of our pharmacists and doctors rely on when prescribing drugs. Damn, wouldn’t it just suck if that got hacked and we found out how to get really “well medicated” 😉
SCENARIO: A woman begins taking oral contraceptives, and simultaneously begins to take a drug to combat the tuberculosis infection, but now she’s pregnant. How could this happen? Well, in my unprofessional Arts student opinion, my guess is that children aren’t the disease we all thought they were.
Upon the conclusion of the lecture, I sit back and reflect on what I’ve learned. Number One: Brand New Pharmacology courses are lazy with their slideshows. Bland, boring text on a white background needs to be improved, and the AI imagery has got to go. Number Two: Telling my doctor about all the drugs I’m on, legal or otherwise, is a very important step in the direction of NOT dying. Finally, I’ve learned that MSB 1.05 needs a really big sign telling everybody where the hell it is.
