Customer Reviews

The Essential Medication Guidebook to Healthy Aging : Your Easy-To-Use Reference to Medications Taken for Common Conditions

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As a licensed social worker and psychotherapist who works with aging people and their families, I bought this book "sight unseen", based on the "Merck" name. I regret that decision. With few exceptions, I found the information in the book spotty and incomplete -- and very difficult to find. The way medications are grouped is NOT user friendly; it is confusing. The index is extremely cumbersome and bably done. Most times, looking up a medication in the index becomes a chore because there are many, many page references to follow up on. Even more important, some important references are missing. For example, on page ii. the editors make a point of saying the grapefruit juice may interfere with the effects of lipitor, a cholesterol-lowering medication. Yet when I looked up lipitor in the index, I found no reference to the page in question. This kind of carelessness is inexcusable, especially since there are no fewer than ten (10) page references under lipitor. I would urge elderly people and their families to AVOID this book. It is badly done, often useless, and sometimes downright dangerous.

This is an easy-to-use and informative book that covers a wide range of medical problems, from A - Z (Arthritis to Osteoporosis in this case). The real benefit is the detailed drug information for each condition and its unique emphasis on advice for Seniors. I recommend it for anyone on any sort of maintenance prescription, or helping take care of someone who is.