Customer Reviews

Tarascon Pocket Pharmacopoeia 2009 Deluxe Lab-Coat Pocket Edition

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3 star:		(1)
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If you need a "drug book," this book is HANDS DOWN the best book for any money. It's small--pocket-sized, in fact--but PACKED with information. It is updated yearly. The editor is an MD, chairman of the Department of Emergency Medicine (Drexel U), who obviously knows how to separate the wheat from the chaff.
Drugs are organized by category (e.g. Antibiotics, Analgesics, etc), and then all the most important information is provided, including generic/brand name(s), uses, formulations, dosing, metabolism, relative cost and safety information (e.g. use in pregnancy). There are numerous useful tables throughout the book. At the end, there is an alphabetic index, where brand names are conveniently italicized for quick differentiation from generic names. There's also a blank page or two for notes (good for adding in your own, as new drugs come on the market).
I have been buying and using this book since 1993, and although I used to pay about $8, I still think it's a steal at about $12. The PDR is good for holding doors open or seating little kids at a table. THIS is the book you will carry with you and USE. NO advertising, NO filler. And a little surprise for trivia junkies...every book has a riddle that can snag you a free book the following year if you're among the first to answer it correctly! Are you still reading this? What are you waiting for? GO BUY THE BOOK!

This is a great point of care resource for dosage forms and quick dosage reference. The index is a little difficult to use because it refrences several pages and you have to hunt for the specific drug listing you are looking for. There is no info on mechanism of action, common side effects, or pharmacokinetics. If you need a complete resource I recommend one of the electronic pharmacopedias like Epocrates, but if you do not want to be tied to your PDA, this is a good option. Be sure to have a computer handy if you need to check on interactions or action, because this source will not provide this information.

As a Paramedic in a busy 911 system, this is one of two pocket books I'll always carry. Although it appears to be better suited as an in-hospital quick reference and does not detail the medications like a standard drug reference, it will list a lot of those less common medications our patients take that our standard EMS field books may not list. I really didn't like this book when it was given to me by a good friend (an RN) at first, but now as I've learned more about our multi-medical-train-wreck-potential patients, I won't part with it.

Last week, this little gem helped me to properly identify a less-known beta blocker that was masking her hyperglycemic symptoms: (DM (type 1) pt complained of abdominal pain. Her BGL was 28 mg/dL, and she was alert and oriented x 4, no hypoglycemic symptoms at all! But, one too many beta blockers and... ;-))

There are also some useful tables interspersed in the book that do come in handy; it's a good idea to flag them in some way though, as they are not all grouped into one place in the book and so not easy to find in a moment's notice.

My only complaint: While the book is a good size to fit into your large or small pocket EMS pants, I've already bought three of the 2009 editions this year as they do not survive the washer or contamination, unlike some of the coated-paged EMS field books. If your bloody trauma soaks your pant leg on scene, your Tarascon book is doomed. And we all know how we're *supposed* to take a minute when we arrive on scene to put on those protective gowns and *then* address the needs of our level one trauma patient while he waits, bleeding on the highway {insert a sarcastic grin}. Right. Now, this book does fit nicely into a red biohazard bag when in your pocket; you just get some strange looks by your partner when you pull it out the first few times. ;-)

Seriously, this book is a deal for those EMTs and Paramedics who want to consider all aspects of their patient's presentation and treat appropriately instead of just "haul the call".

I've been using the Pocket Pharmacopoeia for years. The newest edition is still a must have, especially for physicians that must prescribe or review medications over a wide range of specialties/uses. Gives generic and name brand for medications as well as dosing, available sizes, metabolism, and safety during pregnancy and breast feeding.

It is woth the few dollars to update every year. Give your last one to a student. Easiest drug reference availavble to write scrips on the spot.
Recommend the Lab Coat size. Pocket version can be a little tough on the eyes.

Finding a medication and its correct dosing is of utmost importance to medical practitioners. Tarascon's Pocket Pharmacopoeia is an essential reference for doctors, medical residents, medical students, nurse practitioners, PAs, EMTs, paramedics etc. It is the easiest to use, quickest reference of its kind.

Sure, there are other drug references. And you can download Epocrates to your handheld free. The amazing thing is that in the time it takes someone to find the right medication and the right dose in their iPhone, I've already found it in the Pocket Pharmacopoeia. Moreover, the helpful tables found in the Pharmacopoeia don't always translate well into electronic format. They are easier to access and read within this small manual. Sometimes low tech can beat high tech.

Medications and dosages are all there. Drugs are looked up in the index in the back and then are placed in groups by class. This makes finding alternatives easy. You get simple and basic information in the Pharmacopoeia: The drug name, proprietary name, a simple description as to its indications, and the formulations of how the drug is supplied. There are also icons that tell you the predominant path of excretion (liver or kidney), safety in pregnancy, safety in lactation, and a ballpark idea of the cost of the medication). The descriptions are terse and to the point. This is a manual for the practitioner, it is not a full description of drug use and drug side effects. The Pharmacopoeia is for people 'in the know' and not for casual users. Additionally, there are tables which help with prescribing that the editors seem to expand and improve every year. It seems to me that the typography has been changed a little and makes the book all the more readable and gentle on the eyes.

What's missing? As above, there are no full descriptions of the drugs. Your handheld drug program, computer reference, or the door-stopper of medical drug references, the PDR, are a fuller references. But, as noted above, that's not the purpose of this book. One gripe I do have is that the editors moved the appendix on emergency medicines and cardiac dysrhythmia protocols from the very back of the book to pages 150-151, before the index. I liked these protocols at the bitter end. That way, as a student or resident helping with a code you could pull out your Pharmacopoeia and follow along without fumbling through the pages to find the protocols. (Hopefully, by the time you are running the code you don't need the written guidelines...)

There is a larger edition--the lab coat pocket edition--that has larger print and expanded tables. It is equally as useful, but as long as you can read the fine print in the shirt-pocket edition, I don't see the advantage to the lab coat pocket edition. Part of the appeal to this book is its compact size and that it weighs close to nothing.

This is one reference that all medical practitioners and students should carry on their person. The electronic references are a good adjunct, but no substitute for the original. There are others out there but Tarascon's remains quick, easy to use, and the best reference of its kind--the gold standard in its field.

very good value. fits in my pocket well. just what i wanted. prompt delivery.

Definitely fits in your pocket and doesn't weigh it down. Wish it had indications and contraindications. I got this because my PDA was acting up and couldn't access Epocrates. I like Epocrates more because it includes a lot more information. But this book is good for dosing.

This little Tarascon Pocket Pharmacopoeia is recommended even if you have the hand held medical device.
Tarascon Pocket Pharmacopoeia 2009 Deluxe Lab-Coat Pocket Edition, 10th Edition

As an NP student, this book came in handy often during clinical rotations. It's easy to use and fits nicely in my lab coat pocket.