Albuterol Pharmacology
Real Life Pharmacology - Pharmacology Education for Health Care Professionals
Eric Christianson, PharmD; Pharmacology Expert and Clinical Pharmacist
5 • 716 Ratings
🗓️ 27 November 2025
⏱️ 17 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
On this episode of the Real Life Pharmacology Podcast, I cover albuterol pharmacology, adverse effects, and a rare indication for this classic respiratory medication.
Albuterol is a short-acting beta-2 adrenergic agonist (SABA) that works by stimulating beta-2 receptors in the bronchial smooth muscle. This stimulation activates adenylate cyclase, increases cyclic AMP, and leads to relaxation of airway smooth muscle. The end result is rapid bronchodilation, making albuterol effective for quick relief of acute bronchospasm in conditions such as asthma and COPD.
Common adverse effects occur due to both beta-2 and some unintended beta-1 receptor stimulation. Patients may experience tremors, nervousness, headache, or tachycardia. Higher doses or frequent use can lead to hypokalemia because beta-2 stimulation drives potassium into cells. Some individuals may also report palpitations or feelings of anxiety. These effects are generally mild and transient but can be more pronounced in older adults, those with cardiovascular disease, or when albuterol is used excessively.
Albuterol has several clinically relevant drug interactions. Concomitant use with non-selective beta-blockers (such as propranolol) can blunt its bronchodilatory effect and may precipitate bronchospasm in susceptible individuals. Using albuterol with other sympathomimetics can enhance cardiovascular stimulation, increasing the risk of tachycardia or hypertension. Diuretics, especially loop or thiazide types, may compound albuterol-induced hypokalemia. Additionally, monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) or tricyclic antidepressants can potentiate the effects of albuterol and increase the risk of cardiovascular adverse reactions.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hey, all, welcome back to the Real Life Pharmacology podcast. I'm your host pharmacist, Eric Christensen. |
| 0:05.2 | Thank you so much for listening. As always, go check out Real Life Pharmacology.com. We got a free 31-page |
| 0:11.5 | PDF on the top 200 drugs. A great study guide. If you're taking pharmacology exams, |
| 0:17.1 | board exams, great refresher. If you're out in practice as a health care professional. |
| 0:23.7 | So simply an email, we'll get you access to that. |
| 0:26.6 | Definitely go take advantage for that at real life pharmacology.com. |
| 0:33.6 | All right, the drug of the day today is albuterol. I believe I have covered beta agonists a little bit in the past, |
| 0:41.9 | but I wanted to get into a little bit more specific detail with regards to the use of albuterol. |
| 0:49.8 | So this is a beta agonist type medication. |
| 0:55.0 | More specifically, its primary action is going to be at beta two receptors. |
| 1:02.0 | Brand name of this medication on practice, |
| 1:05.0 | I see ventolin and probably pro air used the most. |
| 1:10.0 | There are a few other obscure names there as well. |
| 1:13.4 | But that mechanism of action acting as a beta-2 receptor agonist |
| 1:21.3 | is going to cause smooth muscle relaxation in the lungs. And that obviously helps people breathe better, |
| 1:32.7 | breathe easier. So that's an important mechanism to remember. Now, I also want to mention |
| 1:38.7 | that beta 1 receptors are very, very important in cardiovascular concerns. |
| 1:49.6 | And if that dose of albuterol is aggressive, |
| 1:54.5 | we can start to lose selectivity a little bit. |
| 1:56.9 | So that's an important thing to remember, |
| 1:59.2 | and that's going to play into the adverse effect profile, |
| 2:00.7 | which I'll discuss coming up here. |
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