Questions to ask yourself about drug information :
- Is it accurate and factual?
- Is it up-to-date?
- Is it complete?
- Is it put out by a reliable or credible organization or company?
- Is it written by health professionals?
- Does it try to sell or market a particular brand or product?
- Does it directly address the patient's problem?
Links to some drug and pharmacy-related web sites
** Descriptions from Libarian's Index to the Internet.
MedlinePlus Drug Information
** "Information on thousands of prescription and over-the-counter medications is provided through two drug resources -- MedMaster, a product of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP), and the USP DI Advice for the Patient, a product of the United States Pharmacopeia (USP)." Browse by generic or brand name of the drug from an alphabetical index. The results include warnings and side effects of the drug.
RxList - Internet Drug Index
** Searchable by drug name, keyword, and imprint code (great for identifying pills). Gives the brand, generic, and category for more than 4,500 drugs in English and more than 3,000 in Spanish. Also has most common indications and side effects. The site also contains Taber's Medical Encyclopedia, with more than 53,000 definitions as well as information on some major Western herbs, Chinese herbal remedies, and homeopathics.
FDA Center for Drug Evaluation and Research
Information about the Products the FDA Regulates
Drugs approved by the FDA (CenterWatch)
In addition to providing a wealth of information related to clinical trials, this website provides lists of drugs approved by the FDA by year by category.
Drugs.com
Prescription drug information for consumers and professionals. Includes a drug interaction checker and a pill indentification section.
RXmed Prescribing Information
This website "contains documented, authoritative and detailed information on over 3000 prescription pharmaceuticals. While this information is mainly presented for doctors, patients will find it valuable as well. These listings cover general pharmacology, indications, warnings, dosage and adverse effects information for each pharmaceutical monograph."
InteliHealth (Aetna)
Provides a section called Drug Resource Center that contains useful information such as how to read a drug label. Also links to www.safemedication.com - a website that provides a searchable database of information about prescription drugs.
Recently approved drugs/indications (Doctor's Guide)
Contains "news found on the Internet relating to the approval of new drugs or of new indications for previously available drugs. "
EBSCOhost Health Databases
One of your choices in the Health Databases is Clinical Pharmacology which "provides access up-to-date, concise and clinically-relevant drug monographs for all U.S. prescription drugs, hard-to-find herbal and nutritional supplements, over-the-counter products and new and investigational drugs."