Strattera vs Wellbutrin💎 Stimulants are still first line for ADHD; Strattera is the move when they're off the table.
The Pearls & Prep Podcast
Pearls & Prep
The Bridge Between School and Practice
Nervous about your first patient? NP Z breaks it down piece by piece — the differentials, the pharmacology, and the pearls that make it stick — so you walk in prepared, not panicking. Built for PMHNP students and new grads who want to understand the “why.”
Hosted by NP Z, Duke-trained Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner · New episodes every Tuesday
127Episodes
TueNew episodes drop
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Featured Episodes
Browse all 127 episodes →Strattera vs WellbutrinVraylar vs Abilify💎 Both are partial agonists — dimmer switches, not on/off blockers — so expect less EPS and prolactin trouble.
Saphris Made Easy💎 Saphris is the overlooked antipsychotic — its niches are bipolar I mania, mixed episodes, and schizophrenia.
Latuda — When It Shines💎 Latuda without food is a fraction of the dose — write 'with at least 350 calories' on every script.
Long-Acting Injectables💎 LAIs bypass first-pass metabolism — steadier levels, fewer peaks, and no daily GI absorption swings.
Psychiatric Interview Skills💎 Structure your intake — a framework is what keeps evaluations organized instead of wandering.
Browse by Category
Every episode, shelved six waysDifferentials
16 episodesDiagnosis vs. diagnosis — telling look-alikes apart
Browse →Med Comparisons
8 episodesDrug vs. drug — head-to-head choices
Browse →Med Deep Dives
34 episodesOne medication, fully decoded
Browse →Diagnosing
17 episodesOne diagnosis, start to finish
Browse →Board Bombs
9 episodesBoard-style questions, worked
Browse →Clinical Pearls
43 episodesShort, sharp clinical lessons
Browse →Join & Buy — One Place
Your Key to Be Ready for That 1st Patient
Memberships and study tools, all in one spot.
Boss Pearl
$20/month — the full library on Patreon.
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Mafia Pearl
$100/month — live training on Patreon.
- Live mock-patient simulations — NP Z plays your patient
- Personal, tailored feedback on your rapport, evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment
- Written feedback reports after every session
- Accelerated clinical learning — groups capped at 8, office hours included
The Shop
One-time downloads — no membership needed.
- BOARD BOMBS™ — 250 PMHNP board-style questions with full rationale for every answer, right AND wrong — $49.99
- 100 Highest-Yield Pearls for Interviewing Patients — the must-have before you see your first patient — $39.99 (free for Boss Pearl & Mafia Pearl members)
- Instant download, yours forever
Pearls in Writing
Deep-dive comparisons from the show, in article formVraylar vs Abilify: What’s the Actual Difference?
Same dimmer-switch engine, different aim. Why Vraylar’s D3 grip matters for negative symptoms, the weeks-long half-life nobody warns you about, and the Abilify impulse-control conversation.
Read the article →Prozac vs Zoloft: The Real Differences Between Two First-Line SSRIs
Efficacy is a tie — the obstacles decide it. The half-life chasm, CYP2D6, cardiac safety data, and how to plan the exit on day one.
Read the article →Lamictal vs Seroquel for Bipolar Depression
The sprinter and the marathoner. The FDA-approval trap every board exam sets, the rash rule, and the estrogen interaction students miss most.
Read the article →Wellbutrin vs TrintellixPsychopharmacology
Wellbutrin vs Trintellix: Dopamine Boost or Serotonin Fine-Tuning After an SSRI Falls Short?
Improved scores, flat life? The blunting-vs-residual fork, Wellbutrin's dopamine pivot, and Trintellix's cognition case — in flash cards.
Read the article →Effexor vs CymbaltaPsychopharmacology
Effexor vs Cymbalta: Which SNRI Fits — the Pain Drug or the Panic Drug?
Never flip a coin between SNRIs. Pain approvals, protein-binding musical chairs, blood pressure, and the roughest exit in the class.
Read the article →Modafinil vs ArmodafinilSleep Medicine
Modafinil vs Armodafinil: One Enantiomer Decides the Night Shift
One enantiomer decides the night shift. R vs R+S, the 3–6 AM window, and why more lithium and bedtime quetiapine were the wrong answers.
Read the article →Lexapro vs ProzacPsychopharmacology
Lexapro vs Prozac: The Clean, Steady SSRI or the Activating Veteran?
Clean and steady vs activating and long-lived: 5-HT2C, SERT affinity, half-life math, and the CYP2D6 web — matched to one heavy, low-drive patient.
Read the article →ADHD vs AnxietyDifferential Diagnosis
ADHD vs Anxiety: The One Question That Changes Everything
Carly is sure it's ADHD. One question — what is competing for your attention? — reroutes the whole case toward generalized anxiety.
Read the article →Panic Disorder vs PTSDDifferential Diagnosis
Panic Disorder vs PTSD: Running From the Feeling, or From the Memory?
He witnessed a fatal crash, so it must be PTSD — mustn't it? Running from the feeling vs running from the memory, in DSM-5-TR criteria.
Read the article →Strattera vs WellbutrinPsychopharmacology
Strattera vs Wellbutrin: The Non-Stimulant for ADHD or the Antidepressant?
Both touch norepinephrine, neither is controlled — and they are not substitutes. CYP2D6, 24-hour coverage, and the depression fork.
Read the article →Word of Mouth
The Key to Feeling Ready
Nervous clinicians, finding their footing — in their own words.
“I try to consume as much of this content as I can. I get SO much value out of this.”
Monica
“Each episode is like a lecture I can listen to in my car, without being in class.”
Andrea
“I would be LOST in front of my first patient without this stuff.”
Laura