Valacyclovir can be used for various viral infections such as herpes virus and varicella. The primary clinical advantage of valacyclovir compared to acyclovir is that it is dosed less frequently. Valacyclovir may have some mild CYP1A2 inhibitor...

Abacavir is a nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor used in the management of HIV. In patients who have the HLA-B*5701 allele, they are at much greater risk for hypersensitivity reactions. Lactic acidosis and hepatomegaly are potential comp...

Sertraline is an SSRI. It has the highest potential to cause diarrhea of any SSRI. Sertraline is often called "Squirtraline" because of its potential to cause diarrhea. Sertraline has a much shorter half-life than fluoxetine.

Fosfomycin is an antibacterial agents that can be utilized in the management of uncomplicated UTIs. Uniquely, fosfomycin comes as a packet that needs to be mixed with COOL water. I discuss this further on the podcast.

Simvastatin use has declined over time due to more potent statins being available and due to numerous drug interactions. Grapefruit juice can inhibit CYP3A4 which will increase the concentrations of simvastatin.

Citalopram is an SSRI used in the management of depression, anxiety, OCD, and PTSD. How do you manage the risk of citalopram causing QTc prolongation? I discuss it further in the podcast. Omeprazole can inhibit CYP2C19 which affects the metabol...

Epoetin alfa is essential exogenous erythropoetin which can stimulate the production of red blood cells. It is critical to ensure adequate iron stores when using EPO. Risks for blood clots, strokes and heart attacks are critical to recognize wi...

Dexamethasone has numerous possible indications such as asthma, chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, and pain associated with inflammation. Dexamethasone is more potent than prednisone. Approximately 0.

On this episode, I discuss sildenafil pharmacology, adverse effects, and important drug interactions. Sildenafil's most common and concerning adverse effect is in relation to its ability to lower blood pressure.

On this episode, I discuss codeine pharmacology and practical clinical practice pearls. Codeine is metabolized by CYP2D6 to the active metabolite morphine. I discuss how this can be affected by genetics as well as other medications.