The Essential Guide to Prescription Drugs, 2002

The organization of the entries offers great depth of information in each drug profile. Different medical conditions as well as other drugs taken concurrently often require dosing adjustments, a factor addressed in all of the drug profiles. For instance, if you or a family member suffers from a liver or kidney ailment, you'll learn how a medication dose or its frequency may need to be adjusted to help avoid dangerous and unnecessary toxic drug reactions.

Each of the nearly 400 drug profiles opens with an informational box outlining the benefits and risks of the drug, followed by information on available dosage forms and strengths, the principal use of the drug when prescribed as a single ingredient and as a component of a combination drug, the advisability of use during pregnancy or when nursing, adverse effects and common side effects, and much more.

Ongoing research helps expand and shape our understanding of how diseases happen and often leads to the development of new medicines. In "The Leading Edge," Dr. Rybacki makes readers aware of promising new medications awaiting FDA approval, and in "True Breakthroughs" he describes novel drugs recently approved by the FDA as well as new uses that have been discovered for older medicines. A unique feature called "Typical Treatment Goals and Measurements" explains what your doctor is usually trying to accomplish with drug therapy.

While no book can be substituted for the professional judgment of a doctor, The Essential Guide to Prescription Drugs does offer the information you need to take today's complex and potent drugs intelligently, safely, and effectively.