Patient Questions Where can I look up prescription drug prices? What drugs can interact with my medicine? What are the recommended dosage amounts for my drug? Where can I find the Physician's Desk Reference online? Where can I find the complete informational pamphlet on my drug? Who has access to my medical records? What are my rights as a patient? How do I find out if my doctor has a valid license or has been disciplined? I'm traveling to a foreign country. What healthcare issues should I know about? Where can I see news releases about new drugs? How do I find pharmaceutical manufacturers for a particular drug? Where can I link to pharmaceutical company web sites? Where can I look up information about a disease? Where can I learn more about drug recalls? What drugs have been controversial and may be potentially dangerous? How do I find legal help for medical malpractice? What clinical studies are going on that are testing new drugs? What does ACE Inhibitor or other acronym mean?

The sites reviewed were chosen for their patient appeal. The main categories reviewed are drug information, patient rights, and legal help. If you know of a great site, or notice that one of these no longer meets the patient seal of approval,
contact us. At askapatient.com, we want to know the patient's opinion

Click here for today's health care news....

Drug Databases: Information Pamphlets

While your best source for patient opinion about drug performance is askapatient.com, here are the sites to look at for "patient inserts" (the detailed information pamphlets provided by manufacturers with every medicine) and other kinds of descriptive information about drugs.

MedlinePlus Drug Information
This is the best site for finding much of what you might need to know about a drug, especially if you don't have the patient insert. Provides information on why medicine is prescribed, how it should be used, special precautions, special dietary instructions, what to do if you miss a dose, side effects, storage conditions, brand names, and more. Information provided by resources from the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists and United States Pharmacopoeia (USP).

Drugs@FDA
This site contains details about a drug's application history, and in many cases has links to the drug's official LABEL information from the manufacturer. It contains prescription and over-the-counter drugs. It will also tell you if a drug has been discontinued from the market.

The Physician's Desk Reference (PDR) Consumer Drug Information
The Physician's Desk Reference (PDR) Consumer Drug Information database contains information on drug indications, recommended dosages for adults and children, side effects, possible food and drug interactions, and detailed instructions for use (including in pregnancy or while breastfeeding).

RxList.com Search engine that lets you find a medicine by name or imprint code. Top 200 drug list. A dictionary translates medical terms into English. Alternative medicine section with uses and dosages for common herbs.

 

Drug Interactions with other Drugs, Foods, and Herbal Medicines

Drug Interactions Checker from Drugs.com

Facts & Comparisons Interaction Alert
This tool allows you to list the drugs you are taking and run a check for dangerous or potentially adverse interactions. Also lets you check interactions against food. Available by subscription or through various libraries for registered users.

General Drug Information

Center for Disease Control If you're going overseas , or want to feel better about not going, check out the Center for Disease Control's site. Just click on the country you're planning to visit, and a whole host of potentially lethal or at least unpleasant infectious diseases appear. After reading these descriptions, you'll be eager to take your immunization shots.

Food & Drug Administration (patent, ingredient, approval date information)
Go to the source to keep current on changes to drug labeling due to newly discovered side effects, and other important findings. Read up on new FDA standards and requirements.Check for medical product and safety recalls.

Ask a Patient Medicine Database is a great source for looking up which companies manufacture a particular drug. It includes generic and brand name manufacturers of all prescription drugs. It also provides therapeutic class and definitions.

Acronynms and Definitions: Check the Pharma-Lexicon database below:

Search For

Medical Abbreviations Scientific Articles

Drug News & Articles

Pharmaceutical & Health Care News Highlights at Ask a Patient. Breaking healthcare and drug news from medical journals.

FDA Drug Safety Alerts and News Summary at Ask a Patient. Updated daily. Is your drug on the list?

Doctors Guide to the Internet: New Drugs or Indications
Read full-text of company press releases for drugs newly available or available for new indications in the U.S. and internationally.

MayoClinic.com A great library of diseases. Interesting news clips and useful information you didn't know you needed. Give them your e-mail address, and they'll send you bulletins to keep you up to date on the latest health news.

Medline Plus
Provided by the National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health, this database for the public provides drug information, articles from a medical encyclopedia, and news. For medical journal articles, search Medline Pub Med at www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi

Internet Health Care Discussion Groups
Yahoo Groups Arranged by disease or illness/medical condition category.

HealingWell.com Arranged by disease or illness/medical condition category.

Miscellaneous Prescription Drug Information

Kiplinger's Medicare Prescription Costs Calculator. What will your out of pocket expenses be under the new medicare drug insurance plan?
Drug Recalls: fda.gov
Guide to Buying Drugs Online
Email Newsletter: mayohealth.com
Surgery information: Yoursurgery.com, StreamOR.com
Drug Price lookup: Pharmacychecker.com    Pillbot.com   
Price and Product Comparison Service: Rxaminer.com
Clinical Studies Information: clinicaltrials.govcenterswatch.com clinicaltrials.com
Partnership for Prescription Assistance: helpingpatients.org provides info on programs for free or low cost prescriptions for low income patients.
For any drug overdose, call your local poison control center at 1-800-222-1222.