Real Life Pharmacology - Pharmacology Education for Health Care Professionals

Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are among the most commonly prescribed medications, but understanding how they work is essential for using them safely and effectively. In this episode of the Real Life Pharmacology podcast, we’ll break down the pharmacology of PPIs, including their mechanism of action, common brand and generic names, clinical uses, adverse effects, drug interactions, and import...

On this podcast episode, I cover commonly used medications for opioid use disorder. Buprenorphine, methadone, and naltrexone are all potential options in OUD. I’ll discuss the pharmacology of each medication and the most common practice pearls that will show up in practice and on your board exams. Be sure to check out our free Top 200 study guide – a 31 page PDF that is yours for FREE!...

Naltrexone is often a first-line medication for AUD. It works as an opioid receptor antagonist, reducing the rewarding effects of alcohol and decreasing cravings. Patients frequently report that alcohol becomes less pleasurable while taking the medication. Oral naltrexone is typically dosed at 50 mg daily, while a long-acting injectable formulation is also available. Avoid use in patients taking o...

In this episode, we explore monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), one of the oldest yet most effective classes of antidepressants. We discuss how MAOIs such as phenelzine, tranylcypromine, isocarboxazid, and selegiline work by increasing serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine levels in the brain. The episode reviews their unique role in treatment-resistant and atypical depression, key adverse eff...

I cover the most important insomnia medications. We cover adverse effects, drug monitoring, and much more. You can find the full 16+ hour nursing pharmacology review course, including PDF handouts, cheat sheets, practice questions, and on-demand videos  at meded101.com!

In this episode, we explore four unique antidepressants that do not fit neatly into the traditional SSRI or SNRI categories: trazodone, nefazodone, vilazodone, and vortioxetine. Trazodone and nefazodone are classified as serotonin antagonist and reuptake inhibitors (SARIs), working primarily through blockade of 5-HT2 receptors while also inhibiting serotonin reuptake. Trazodone’s strong anti...

In this section, I educate about the most common ICU sedation medications. You can find the full 16+ hour nursing pharmacology review course, including PDF handouts, cheat sheets, practice questions, and on-demand videos  at meded101.com!

Serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) are a class of antidepressants that increase serotonin and norepinephrine levels in the brain. Common agents include venlafaxine (Effexor XR), desvenlafaxine (Pristiq), duloxetine (Cymbalta), levomilnacipran (Fetzima), and milnacipran (Savella). In addition to treating depression and anxiety disorders, several SNRIs have important pain indicatio...

Human Immunodeficiency Virus, or HIV, remains one of the most important infectious diseases in modern healthcare, but advances in antiretroviral therapy have transformed it from a fatal diagnosis into a manageable chronic condition for many patients. In this episode, we’ll break down the major medication classes used to treat HIV, discuss how these drugs work, review key adverse effects and drug i...

Mirtazapine is a unique antidepressant often chosen when depression occurs alongside insomnia or poor appetite. Its antihistamine activity makes it sedating, particularly at lower doses, and it commonly increases appetite and weight. Unlike many SSRIs, mirtazapine has a lower risk of sexual dysfunction and gastrointestinal side effects because it blocks 5-HT2 and 5-HT3 receptors. It is frequently...

Fungal infections are commonly encountered across healthcare settings, ranging from oral thrush and vaginal yeast infections to serious systemic infections in critically ill patients. In this episode, we’ll review the major antifungal medications nurses should know, including azoles, echinocandins, polyenes, and topical antifungals. We’ll focus on practical nursing considerations such as monitorin...

Welcome to today’s episode on the tricyclic antidepressants, commonly known as TCAs — one of the foundational medication classes in psychopharmacology. Although newer antidepressants like SSRIs often dominate modern prescribing, TCAs remain highly relevant in clinical practice because of their effectiveness in treatment-resistant depression, chronic pain syndromes, migraine prevention, insomnia, a...

This nursing pharmacology review covers the essential antiviral medications commonly encountered in clinical practice and on nursing exams. The video explains how antiviral drugs work, what infections they treat, and the key nursing considerations for safe medication administration and monitoring. Major medications discussed may include acyclovir, valacyclovir, oseltamivir, antiretroviral therapy,...

SSRI adverse effects are critical to know. In part 2 of this 2-part series on SSRIs, we cover the most important adverse effects to know, in addition to putting a nice bow on the most important clinical practice pearls on each SSRI. Enjoy the show! Be sure to check out our free Top 200 study guide – a 31 page PDF that is yours for FREE! Support The Podcast and Check Out These Amazing Resourc...

This nursing pharmacology review provides a high-yield overview of the most important antibiotic classes used in clinical practice. The video explains how common antibiotics work, what infections they treat, and the major nursing considerations associated with each class. Key topics include penicillins, cephalosporins, macrolides, fluoroquinolones, tetracyclines, vancomycin, aminoglycosides, and s...

In this episode, we break down the pharmacology of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) with a focus on the high-yield clinical pearls pharmacists, medical students, and healthcare professionals need to know. We compare the major SSRIs—including fluoxetine, sertraline, paroxetine, citalopram, escitalopram, and fluvoxamine—based on adverse effects, drug interactions, pharmacokinetics, an...

This podcast episode gives nurses a practical, easy-to-apply overview of common thyroid disorders, focusing on how to recognize and manage both hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism in clinical practice. It reviews key differences in presentation—such as fatigue, weight gain, and cold intolerance in hypothyroidism versus weight loss, tachycardia, and heat intolerance in hyperthyroidism—while connecti...

Polypharmacy is one of the most common—and often overlooked—challenges in modern healthcare, especially in older adults. It’s not just about the number of medications a patient is taking, but whether each one still has a clear indication, is providing benefit, and isn’t causing harm. As medication lists grow, so does the risk of adverse effects, drug interactions, and something we see all the time...

This podcast episode gives nurses a practical, bedside-focused guide to insulin therapy, helping simplify one of the most important—and often confusing—areas of diabetes management. It reviews key insulin types, including rapid-acting insulin lispro, long-acting insulin glargine, and intermediate options like NPH insulin, highlighting onset, peak, and duration differences that drive dosing decisio...

Polypharmacy isn’t just about medication count—it’s about cumulative risk and unintended consequences. One of the biggest drivers is the prescribing cascade, where a drug side effect is mistaken for a new condition, and another medication gets added instead of addressing the root cause. You see this all the time in practice. A patient starts amlodipine and develops edema, then gets placed on furos...

This podcast episode provides nurses with a clear, practical overview of non-insulin diabetes medications, focusing on how to safely and effectively manage patients with type 2 diabetes. It reviews key drug classes such as metformin, glipizide, empagliflozin, and semaglutide, emphasizing mechanisms of action, common side effects, and important monitoring parameters. Nurses will learn how to recogn...

If you’re managing patients with heart failure, you already know the medication landscape has evolved quickly over the past decade. From traditional volume management with furosemide to newer, guideline-driven therapies like sacubitril/valsartan and empagliflozin, staying up to date is essential—but not always easy. In this episode, we break down three cornerstone medication classes you’ll encount...

This podcast episode breaks down diabetes “compelling indications” in a way that’s highly practical for nurses managing complex patients. It explains how comorbid conditions like cardiovascular disease, heart failure, and chronic kidney disease influence medication selection beyond just lowering A1c. Be sure to check out our free Top 200 study guide – a 31 page PDF that is yours for FREE!

In this section, I cover the most important medication errors you’ll see in practice. I got a good start in Part 1, so go back and listen to that for some great real-life information. In this section, I talk about a few types of medication errors that have led to serious complications and life-threatening situations for our patients. Wrong patient errors are one of the highest risk errors th...

This podcast episode provides nurses with a practical, clinically focused overview of Addison’s disease and Cushing’s disease, highlighting key differences in pathophysiology, presentation, and management. Listeners will learn how adrenal insufficiency in Addison’s leads to symptoms like fatigue, hypotension, and hyperpigmentation, while excess cortisol in Cushing’s presents with weight gain, hype...