Physicians' Desk Reference 2003 (Physicians' Desk Reference (Pdr)) [Hardcover]

Medical Economics Staff (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1563634457 | ISBN-13: 978-1563634451 | Publication Date: November 2002 | Edition: 57th

You'll find the most complete data on over 4,000 drugs by brand and generic name, manufacturer and product category. Your 2003 PDR provides usage information and warnings, drug interactions, plus more than 2,000 full-size, full-color photos cross-reference to the drug.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 3000 pages
• Publisher: Thomson P D R; 57th edition (November 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1563634457
• ISBN-13: 978-1563634451
• Product Dimensions: 12.2 x 9.3 x 3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #706,166 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars NECESSARY, BUT LIMITED -- AND DIFFICULT TO USE WELL, April 9, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Physicians' Desk Reference 2003 (Physicians' Desk Reference (Pdr)) (Hardcover)

I use the PDR all the time -- I'd be lost without it -- but this is a book that's easy to MIS-use. Much of the material is tough-going, such as how the medications work and how they may interact. To some extent this is unavoidable, but......even after all these years, the publisher hasn't figured out that some aspects of the format are quite poor. For example, what would be so hard about putting things like "half-lives" of medications in tabular form, or some other "eye-friendly" thing, so they could be seen at a glance??? And in general, if you're looking for a particular thing, even if you land on the right paragraph there's a good chance you won't see it. Also, for some reason, the side effects for any given medication are divided between two or more different sections of the article.

Most astonishingly, despite the fact that the PDR tends to list anything and everything as a possible side effect for every medication, some common side effects are simply not mentioned at all. And, oftentimes some of the major uses for a given medication are not mentioned. These two problems aren't the fault of the publisher; the first reflects failures of the medical literature in general and the second reflects the fact that many correct usages of medications are not officially approved. Also the listed dosage ranges are sometimes too limited; lower or higher dosages may be right for some people.

So, don't regard the PDR as the last word. Above all, don't take too seriously the endless lists of possible side effects. Remember that these aren't necessarily things that WILL happen; they MIGHT happen. And remember that the lists usually include a lot of things that rarely if ever happen -- yet sometimes fail to include things that DO happen. If you are convinced that a medication has done something to you, and the effect is NOT mentioned in the PDR, you're still probably right. But, don't assume that something IS happening just because it IS mentioned in the PDR!

19 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars PDR: Who pays for publishing?, January 16, 2003

By 

Christopher Parker "ugarxdawg" (Douglasville, GA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Physicians' Desk Reference 2003 (Physicians' Desk Reference (Pdr)) (Hardcover)

This is a decent reference source, but remember that the book is paid for by the drug companies that advertise in it. I do not use it as a pharmacist because I have second thoughts on whether all of the info is unbiased. I think it does show some bias. In addition, drugs are not even mentioned unless a drug company pays to have it in there.

7 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Only Drug Reference that has 100% of Drug Info, May 28, 2003

By 

J. Bryant "t0problemsolver" (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Physicians' Desk Reference 2003 (Physicians' Desk Reference (Pdr)) (Hardcover)

A PDR is the only sourse that has 100% of the information on the dugs. Some doctors feel the PDR is writen by attorneys, because it has every side effect a drug has ever given a patient. Or that the PDR has every scrap of information on any drug listed in it............................. I have 38,000 hours of Emergency Medical System.................................... When persons make comments that the PDR does not make reference to drugs half life. In fact the PDR does state a drug half life. And it would be legally negligent for the PDR to list drugs in a catigory of half life, so a drug could be choosen for a patient, based on its half-life........... Drug advertisements, or drug info sheets "your" doctor gives you on a drug, is writen by the drug companies, and as a result, all the information that you would find in the PDR, is left off the drug info sheets they give to doctors, the same info sheets your doctors pass onto you.