Worst Pills, Best Pills: A Consumer's Guide to Preventing Drug-Induced Death [Paperback]

Sid M. Wolfe (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 1999

Consumer advocate Sidney M. Wolfe, MD, director of Public Citizen's Health Research Group, has thoroughly revised and updated this accessible, indispensable bestseller that alerts you to the potential risks of hundreds of medications available today. "Worst Pills, Best Pills" give you the information you need to become actively involved in caring for yourself - by asking your doctor smart questions about the drugs prescribed for you. Arranged by disease/condition, if offers chapters on adverse drug reactions, alphabetical indexes listing pills by the brand and generic names, new information about commonly used drugs, guidelines for helping you to say "no" if your doctor prescribes a drug you should not take, and safer alternative choices. "Worst Pills, Best Pills" also includes startling information about certain drugs that can usually cause depression, hallucinations or psychoses, sexual dysfunction, dementia, auto accidents, insomnia, parkinsonism, and more.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Adverse drug reactions are the fourth leading cause of death for Americans, killing 100,000 people each year. How do these adverse reactions happen? Sometimes the prescribed dose is too high, or the drug is given to people who don't need it, or different drugs that are fine separately become dangerous in combination. Worst Pills, Best Pills: A Consumer's Guide to Avoiding Drug-Induced Death or Illness may be your worst nightmare or best friend. This hefty 772-page resource (weighing more than three pounds) is filled with the potential risks of hundreds of medications, pairs of drugs that can cause life-threatening reactions when taken together, and 160 pills you shouldn't take at all, with safer alternatives. The organization of this book can be confusing at first--it's difficult to browse, but if you're checking out your medications, go first to the index of drugs at the beginning, which will direct you to the section where your drug is discussed. After that, the book is organized by ailment. Each drug that is discussed includes brand name(s), generic name, use, possible adverse effects, precautions, warnings (stronger than precautions), when not to use this drug, what to tell your doctor that might affect your reaction, how to take it safely, interactions with other drugs, and adverse reactions that warrant calling your doctor. Considering all the information in here that might save your life, this book is a bargain. --Joan Price

From Library Journal

Updating a million-copy best seller.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 816 pages
• Publisher: Pocket; Revised edition (February 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 067101918X
• ISBN-13: 978-0671019181
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 8 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #791,940 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Worst Pills Best Pills, May 11, 2000

By 

C. Johnson "C. Johnson" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Worst Pills, Best Pills: A Consumer's Guide to Preventing Drug-Induced Death (Paperback)

This book has been very valuable to me as a gerontologist working with elderly and dementia patients.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dont be fooled by the reviews, February 21, 2005

By 

Walking With The Night (Hill Country, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Worst Pills, Best Pills: A Consumer's Guide to Preventing Drug-Induced Death (Paperback)

This book is information you need to know. You are not going to get it from your doctor. You are not going to get it from the FDA either. Your doctor is under pressure from the pharmaceutical reps to push their respective drugs.The FDA is completely co-opted by the fact that they recieve millions of dollars each year from the pharmaceutical industry-who bombards you daily with TV ads telling you to ask your doctor for their products without really telling you what their product is. You need REAL information!!!!!!!
The bottom line folks is that the FDA and the pharmaceutical industry) and the pharmaceutical industry itself are dancing a dangerous dance, and we are the floor they are dancing on.As far as the "do not take" drug list in the book goes, all of those drugs listed have safer alternatives, most being older tried and true drugs that have been pushed aside for the new crop of "superdrugs".On a side note: I cant help but notice that on this last thursday it was reported that Bush is preparing to sign legislation limiting or capping class action lawsuits and on this last Friday it was reorted that the FDA is encouraging the readmittance of drugs live Vioxx back into the marketplace. Curious

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not perfect but still...., February 22, 2005

By 

Will H. "Will H." (new york,) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Worst Pills, Best Pills: A Consumer's Guide to Preventing Drug-Induced Death (Paperback)

This is a good reference, not a be all end all. Anyone taking medications regularly and wants information, as they should, ought to have this book as well as a PDR and ideally another book or two to cross reference(some have been mentioned in other reviews). Two quick points:
1-Why limit yourself to available resources because you believe a book is biased. Anyone who sits down to write has a bias. Complete objectivity doesn't exist, not even in science, so let's forget that argument. Beside, given the amount of money pharmaceutical companies spend on advertisements showing religious revival fantasies of giddy folks smiling with delight as they throw away their crutches and limbo under their SUV's, I for one would hope there would be a little bias in the other direction as a counter weight.
2- Anyone who makes a medical decision based on something they read in a book without discussing it with a doctor and checking other sources, is a fool. Instead of proclaiming a book "dangerous" what should be stated is that basing a medical decision on one reference source is dangerous. People who burn books refer to books as "dangerous". I have never seen a "dangerous" book.
That said, buy this book if you have questions about the medications you're taking and keep it handy. If nothing else it will motivate you to ask your doctor questions and let him know that you are an active participant in matters of your own health.
And above all, exercise common sense.