I started my PhD in Oct'06, in Pharmacology, I've kinda spent 3 months 'reading' but not if you know what I mean, and now I feel so far behind I don't know where to start.
Another guy started at the same time as me and we don't really get on and the limited lab work we ahve done he has taken over and analysed all our data and shown it to our supervisor and now I'm left not really understanding it, or what ti do next!
I know it all seems a bit silly, but at the moment I'm just wishing I didn't have to go back at all, but I like area I'm working in, I'm so confused!

Hey lostsoul. My undergrad degree was Pharmacology - where are you at now, and what do you work in, area of research-wise?

I can see why you're not enjoying things - sounds like a real problem - it's bad enough having problem supervisors to contend with, without other students getting involved as well! I'm wondering how closely related your work is - is there an overlap because it's preliminary stuff? Or are the projects very similar anyway?

I guess the solution depends on how you feel about speaking to your supervisor and/or the other student about this. Perhaps he/she is just being overeager, and doesn't realise. Or maybe they are quite overbearing. Can you give us a bit more info on this?

Hi, thanks for your rapid reply and its always good to find a fellow pharmacologist! I was at Bath, now I'm at Cardiff Uni. My PhD is in respiratory pharmacology asthma and COPD, looking at nitric oxide.
I'm not really sure about speaking to my supervisor as I'm kinda terrified they will find out how little I have learned!I have two others but not entirely sure which is the best to approach, and as our lab is mixed resp and cardiovascular most of the other students do cv and don't really understand my project.
As I have done only 2 preliminary experiments it's not as if I can say I've been really busy in the lab either.

I worked on asthma in my final year research project and also in a year of research I did in the same lab after I graduated - I was looking at the effects of beta2-adrenoceptor agonists on inflammatory mediator release.

Anyway, back to your questions. I'd say it's better to speak to your supervisor now, when you're only a few months into the PhD, than to leave it another year, get halfway through, and then tell them that you think you've not learnt much. Also, is it really the case that you haven't learned much, or is it more that it's the seemingly usual thing, especially early in a PhD, where you feel like you don't know what you're doing and you have a general lack of faith in the whole thing?

Also, do you know how other students in your lab feel about these things?