The PDR Pocket Guide to Prescription Drugs: Sixth Edition (Physicians' Desk Reference Pocket Guide to Prescription Drugs) [Mass Market Paperback]

Thompson PDR (Author)

Book Description

Series: Physicians' Desk Reference Pocket Guide to Prescription Drugs | Publication Date: December 1, 2003

Everything you need to know about prescription drugs -- based on the FDA-approved information published in the Physicians' Desk Reference®

Why was this drug prescribed to me?
What are the benefits and risks of taking this drug?
Will I experience any side effects?
What questions should I ask my doctor about this prescription?

You'll find the answers to all these questions and more in this accessible, up-to-the-minute resource. The drug profiles in this unique consumer handbook are drawn from the Physicians' Desk Reference® -- the trusted guide to safe, effective drug therapy that healthcare professionals have relied on for more than half a century.

The simple, A-to-Z listing of brand-name medications -- with convenient generic cross-references -- in THE PDR® Pocket Guide To Prescription Drugs™ provides all the information you need about the benefits, risks, and side effects associated with each method of treatment. You'll learn about possible food and drug interactions, pregnancy-related warnings and safety measures, and the symptoms of overdose. Other features include a Disease and Disorder Index, photographs of more than 100 drugs, and a national directory of Poison Control Centers.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 1712 pages
• Publisher: Pocket; 6th Rev edition (December 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743476697
• ISBN-13: 978-0743476690
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.3 x 2.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,064,295 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Essential Tool for Caregivers, March 6, 2004

By 

Phyllis Staff (Dallas, Texas USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The PDR Pocket Guide to Prescription Drugs: Sixth Edition (Physicians' Desk Reference Pocket Guide to Prescription Drugs) (Mass Market Paperback)

"This must be a mistake! How could his drug costs rise from $150 per month to $1101 in just three weeks?" My hand shook while I read the pharmacy bill.

The bill was accurate. In only three weeks at an Alzheimer's care unit, my father's drug expenses had soared an incredible 734%. And, the way I saw it, his quality of life had decreased about the same percentage. Walking and talking when he entered, he now spent his days in a wheelchair, unable to walk and drugged, in a constant stupor.

"I've got to do something." The thought repeated over and over in my head. "How can this be?" Then a quick trip to the grocery brought the help I needed. It came in the form of a thick paperback book, The PDR Pocket Guide to Prescription Drugs.

The PDR Pocket Guide provides tons of information for all prescription drugs currently on the market. Information includes:

a. generic equivalents,
b. why the drug is prescribed,
c. how it should be taken,
d. when it should not be taken,
e. side effects and special warning, and
f. possible interactions with other drugs and food.

The PDR is available through Amazon.com, or you may find a copy like I did at your local grocery or bookstore. Jam-packed with almost 1700 pages of information, this paperback is a surprisingly affordable $6.99.

Using the pharmacy's bill as a list of medications, I read the PDR report for each drug my father was using. What I found astonished me.

Two of fifteen drugs prescribed were being used "off-label." One was specifically contraindicated for use with Alzheimer's patients. Two others were from drug families that I had previously pointed out in my father's list of allergic reactions.

Without this "pocket" guide, I'd never have understood what was happening to my father.

Get one today. Use it. It could save the life of someone you love dearly.

Phyllis Staff, Ph.D.
author, "How to Find Great Senior Housing"
and
"128 Ways to Prevent Alzheimer's and Other Dementias"

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent reference, September 25, 2005

By 

fairview (Michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The PDR Pocket Guide to Prescription Drugs: Sixth Edition (Physicians' Desk Reference Pocket Guide to Prescription Drugs) (Mass Market Paperback)

If you or your family is taking prescription drugs this is an essential reference to own. Although its focus is on prescriptions drugs it also covers some non-prescription pain relivers (asperin, tyrenol, motrin, etc). The typeface is confortable to read...not too small. This is a pocket-sized book but thick. Not something to put in a back pocket or purse but easy enought to carry around and light. So inexpensive, anyone can own it. This edition is based on the 2003 Physicans Desk Reference. There will be a new edition due out in November 2005.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great value!, August 2, 2005

By 

Mo B - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The PDR Pocket Guide to Prescription Drugs: Sixth Edition (Physicians' Desk Reference Pocket Guide to Prescription Drugs) (Mass Market Paperback)

This reference is awesome, and the price can't be beat. It is loaded with information, and at this price it's a must have for all nurses.