Episodes

  • Modafinil Pharmacology Podcast

    Modafinil Pharmacology Podcast
    Mar 13 2025
    Modafinil (Provigil) is a CNS stimulant medication. I cover modafinil pharmacology, adverse effects, drug interactions, and much more on this podcast episode. You should be aware that modafinil is a Schedule 4 controlled substance so it does carry a risk of dependence and addiction. Modafinil can cause CYP3A4 induction and lead to lowering the concentrations of many medications. This includes antiepileptic agents and oral contraceptives. The most common adverse effects of modafinil include ramping up the body and causing symptoms such as anxiety and insomnia. Cardiovascular changes are a risk with modafinil as this medication can contribute to hypertension and tachycardia.
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    16 mins
  • Top 200 Drugs Podcast – Medications 196-200

    Top 200 Drugs Podcast – Medications 196-200
    Mar 6 2025
    This episode is sponsored by Meded101.com/store - Go check out their resources, books, and review courses! They will help you prepare to pass your pharmacology classes and board exams! Lansoprazole is a PPI that can be used for GERD, ulcers, and other GI conditions. B12 and magnesium deficiency are possible long-term mineral and vitamin effects. Augmentin is a combination medication of amoxicillin and clavulanate. It is an antibiotic for infection. Diarrhea is the most common adverse effect. Lovastatin is a cholesterol-lowering medication. It is often not a preferred statin due to CYP3A4 interaction and it is less potent than other medications. Valacyclovir is a prodrug that gets converted to acyclovir. It is an antiviral medication and can treat herpes zoster and herpes simplex infections. Chlorpromazine is a dopamine antagonist that has anticholinergic activity as well. It is a first-generation antipsychotic medication.
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    22 mins
  • Top 200 Drugs Podcast – Medications 191-195

    Top 200 Drugs Podcast – Medications 191-195
    Feb 27 2025
    Today’s sponsor is Freed AI! Freed’s AI medical scribe listens, transcribes, and writes notes for you. Over 15,000 healthcare professionals use Freed and you should too! Learn more here! Clopidogrel (Plavix) is an antiplatelet medication. You need to understand the pharmacokinetics of clopidogrel and how CYP2C19 affects this medication. Doxycycline is a tetracycline antibiotic. Calcium, iron, and other metal cations can bind doxycycline and reduce the absorption of the medication. Hyzaar is a combination of losartan and hydrochlorothiazide. Losartan is an ARB and hydrochlorothiazide is a thiazide diuretic. Kytril (granisetron) is an antiemetic medication. It is from the same class of medication as the more commonly used ondansetron. Restoril (temazepam) is a benzodiazepine. It is primarily used to treat insomnia as it has a much shorter half-life than many of the other benzodiazepines.
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    25 mins
  • Top 200 Drugs Podcast – Medications 186-190

    Top 200 Drugs Podcast – Medications 186-190
    Feb 20 2025
    Today’s sponsor is Freed AI! Freed’s AI medical scribe listens, transcribes, and writes notes for you. Over 15,000 healthcare professionals use Freed and you should too! Learn more here! On this episode of the Real Life Pharmacology Podcast, we will cover medications 186-190 on the Top 200 Drugs List. The medications included in the podcast episode are Sonata, Zebata, Zovirax, Coumadin, and Luvox. Sonata (ezopiclone) is a Z-drug used for insomnia. It has many similar effects to benzodiazepines and a similar mechanism of action. Zebeta (bisoprolol) is a beta-blocker used for the treatment of hypertension, atrial fibrillation, and heart failure amongst other indication. Zovirax (acyclovir) is an antiviral medication used to treat various viral infection. It needs to be dosed numerous times throughout the day which is a downside to use. Coumadin (warfarin) is an anticoagulant. It is most well known for its need to have INRs drawn to assess drug levels. Luvox (fluvoxamine) is an SSRI antidepressant. It is well known for its ability to cause drug interaction and is often not a first line agent because of this reason.
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    25 mins
  • Top 200 Drugs – Medications 181-185

    Top 200 Drugs – Medications 181-185
    Feb 13 2025
    On this Real Life Pharmacology Podcast episode, we cover medications 181-185. Proscar is the brand name for finasteride. This medication can be helpful in shrinking the size of the prostate but it does typically take a while to work (months). Sinemet is a combination of carbidopa and levodopa. Levodopa is converted in the central nervous system to dopamine to help alleviate a shortage of dopamine in the brain. Risedronate is a bisphosphonate medication that can be used in the treatment of osteoporosis. Albuterol (Ventolin) is a short-acting beta-agonist that is used to relieve symptoms of acute respiratory distress most often associated with an asthma exacerbation. Tramadol is classified as an opioid analgesic. It also has activity similar to SNRIs as it has the ability to increase serotonin and norepinephrine in the brain.
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    27 mins
  • Top 200 Drugs – Medications 176-180

    Top 200 Drugs – Medications 176-180
    Feb 6 2025
    Prednisolone is a corticosteroid that is often used in pediatrics. Hyperglycemia, insomnia, and GI upset are relatively common adverse effects. Ibuprofen is a commonly used OTC pain reliever. It is classified as an NSAID and can increase GI bleed risk and exacerbate heart failure. Aceon is the brand name for perindopril. ACE inhibitors are well known to cause drug induced cough and will cause hyperkalemia. Trazodone is classified as an antidepressant but is frequently used to treat insomnia because of its sedative properties. Pioglitazone is an oral anti-diabetes medication that should be avoided in patients with heart failure.
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    23 mins
  • Top 200 Drugs Podcast – Medications 171-175

    Top 200 Drugs Podcast – Medications 171-175
    Jan 30 2025
    Today’s sponsor is Freed AI! Freed’s AI medical scribe listens, transcribes, and writes notes for you. Over 15,000 healthcare professionals use Freed and you should too! Learn more here! On this episode of the Top 200 drugs podcast, we are going to cover these 5 medications: Cyclosporine, insulin glargine, tadalafil, amitriptyline, and gemfibrozil. Cyclosporine is a calcineurin inhibitor that suppresses the immune system. This is useful in patients who have had an organ transplant. Insulin glargine is a long-acting insulin product that can be used in type 1 and type 2 diabetes. I discuss adverse effects, dosing, and much more. Tadalafil is a PDE-5 inhibitor that can be used to treat sexual dysfunction. The nitrate drug interaction is one of the most highly tested drug interactions in school. Amitriptyline is a TCA. It is highly anticholinergic and because of this is not a great medication to utilize in elderly patients. Gemfibrozil is primarily used to lower triglyceride levels. This medication can significantly increase the risk for rhabdomyolysis in patients taking statin medications.
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    24 mins
  • Top 200 Drugs – Medications 166-170

    Top 200 Drugs – Medications 166-170
    Jan 23 2025
    Today’s sponsor is Freed AI! Freed’s AI medical scribe listens, transcribes, and writes notes for you. Over 15,000 healthcare professionals use Freed and you should too! Learn more here! On this episode of the Top 200 Drugs podcast from Real Life Pharmacology, we cover Percocet, Epogen, quetiapine, glimepiride, and tirzepatide. These are drugs 166-170. Percocet is a combination analgesic. It contains acetaminophen and oxycodone. Pay attention to acetaminophen intake from all sources when patients are on this medication. Epogen (epoetin alfa) stimulates the production of red blood cells. This medication can be useful in treating anemia. Quetiapine (Seroquel) is an antipsychotic. It is often used in patients with hallucinations and delusions associated with Parkinson's disease because it has a lower potential to block dopamine receptors compared to other antipsychotics. Glimepiride is a sulfonylurea. This medication stimulates the release of insulin which can help lower blood sugars in diabetes. Tirzepatide (Mounjaro) is a combination GIP and GLP-1 receptor agonist that can be used for weight loss and the treatment of diabetes.
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    25 mins