Category: Cardiovascular Medications

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August 25, 2022August 22, 2022

Ticagrelor Pharmacology

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On this episode, I discuss ticagrelor pharmacology, adverse effects, and important drug interactions.

Ticagrelor has a warning with regards to the use of aspirin. Higher doses of aspirin can impair the effectiveness of ticagrelor and I discuss this further on this episode.

Bleeding is the major adverse effect from ticagrelor and naturally, hematocrit and hemoglobin are important monitoring parameters.

I discuss CYP3A4 drug interactions on this episode and how it may affect ticagrelor.

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July 28, 2022July 15, 2022

Olmesartan Pharmacology

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On this episode, I discuss olmesartan (Benicar) pharmacology, adverse effects, drug interactions, and pharmacokinetics.

Olmesartan can cause a unique GI adverse effect called enteropathy. I discuss this on this podcast episode.

Important monitoring parameters for olmesartan include potassium, renal function, and blood pressure.

Olmesartan has a longer half-life than losartan. I discuss how this might be advantageous in clinical practice.

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June 30, 2022June 27, 2022

Bisoprolol (Zebeta) Pharmacology

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On this episode, I discuss bisoprolol (Zebeta) pharmacology, adverse effects, drug interactions, and other important clinical pearls.

Bisoprolol is a beta-1 selective antagonist that can be used for atrial fibrillation, angina, and other cardiovascular indications.

It is important to remember that bisoprolol and other beta-blockers are not considered first-line agents for hypertension alone.

Beta-receptor selectivity does start to disappear with bisoprolol as you get to higher dosages. I discuss this further in the podcast.

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May 5, 2022April 26, 2022

Chlorthalidone Pharmacology

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On this episode I discuss chlorthalidone pharmacology, adverse effects, and recent literature regarding cardiovascular disease reduction. Our friends at Pyrls.com are offering a free diagram of the nephron including the mechanism of action AND a summary of diuretic effects that I discussed on the podcast – Go sign up and get these for free and support this awesome sponsor!

Chlorthalidone is a thiazide diuretic that uniquely raises blood calcium levels compared to loop diuretics which lower calcium levels.

There was a recent piece of literature (2020) comparing chlorthalidone versus hydrochlorothiazide. It found that chlorthalidone was no more effective than HCTZ.

Remember that chlorthalidone can raise uric acid and increase the risk of gout flares.

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April 28, 2022April 26, 2022

Verapamil Pharmacology Podcast

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On this episode, I discuss verapamil pharmacology, adverse effects, and important drug interactions.

There are numerous drug interactions to be aware of with verapamil as it inhibits the enzyme CYP3A4.

Verapamil is a calcium channel blocker (non-dihydropyridine) that blocks calcium channels in the heart and vessels.

In addition to hypotension and bradycardia, verapamil can cause constipation which may be more prominent in our geriatric patients.

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April 7, 2022April 5, 2022

Carvedilol (Coreg) Pharmacology

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On this episode of the Real Life Pharmacology podcast, I discuss carvedilol pharmacology, drug interactions, and adverse effects.

Carvedilol is one of the few beta-blockers that has alpha-blocking activity.

Carvedilol is almost exclusively metabolized by various CYP enzymes so renal function changes typically don’t change drug concentrations to a significant extent.

Beta-blockers like carvedilol are well known to cause the adverse effects of fatigue and sexual dysfunction.

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February 24, 2022February 17, 2022

Losartan Pharmacology

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On this episode, I discuss losartan pharmacology, adverse effects, drug interactions, and appropriate monitoring.

Losartan is an ARB and can increase potassium levels. Keep an eye out for medications like spironolactone and trimethoprim which can increase this risk further.

Losartan has been shown to lower uric acid levels which could potentially be helpful in patients with gout.

Monitoring renal function is very important with losartan. The risk of ARF goes significantly higher when used with NSAIDs or diuretics.

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February 17, 2022February 16, 2022

Pravastatin Pharmacology

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On this episode, I breakdown pravastatin pharmacology, adverse effects, drug interactions and when you might see this drug used in practice.

Pravastatin is a statin and will lower LDL. Its use is a little limited in the fact that it is not as potent as other agents in its LDL lowering effects.

Pravastatin is hydrophilic which differentiates it from simvastatin, atorvastatin, and lovastatin.

I describe rhabdomyolysis in this podcast as it is a potential rare adverse effect of pravastatin.

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January 20, 2022January 10, 2022

Atenolol Pharmacology

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On this episode, I discuss atenolol pharmacology, adverse effects, pharmacokinetics, and drug interactions.

Atenolol is primarily cleared by the kidney which should tell you that we need to pay attention to dose adjustments as renal function declines.

Atenolol is a beta-1 selective agent that is NOT a preferred beta-blocker in HFrEF.

Pulse and blood pressure monitoring is essential with any beta-blocker like atenolol.

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