Drug Dictionary
A drug dictionary provides helpful information on both prescription and over-the-counter drugs. Nurses, doctors, pharmacists and others rely on drug dictionaries for quick and easy reference. Print drug dictionaries have been used for many years as a desk reference, but newer technologies have enabled doctors to access online drug dictionaries, often while consulting with patients. This helps doctors answer patients’ questions about their medications, confirm their choices of medications, and avoid potential harmful drug interactions.
If you’re a patient or loved one of a patient seeking drug information, use these resources to educate yourself on the effects, potential side effects, and interactions among medications. Bring your information and concerns with you to your next appointment to discuss treatment options with your doctor or healthcare provider. Never stop taking a medication without discussing it with your healthcare provider first.
Print Dictionaries
Traditional print-based drug dictionaries are available from companies such as Amazon or at university, college, and large public libraries. They provide handy access and some people are more comfortable researching topics in print form. Information in print volumes, however, does go out of date, with both the FDA and pharmaceutical companies adding, changing, and updating information at least yearly. If you do purchase a print version, be sure to update it yearly, and check resources available in the reference section of libraries carefully to ensure the information is accurate.
Some commonly used and recommended print drug dictionaries include:
- The Nurse’s Pocket Drug Manual by Judith Barberio, updated for 2009. This inexpensive manual slips into your pocket easily so you can quickly access it when working with patients, completing paperwork, or consulting with families. Nurses, doctors, and others find it quite convenient.
- The Merck Manual is the standard for physicians, students, nurses and other healthcare practitioners. There is also a veterinary version. While not specifically a drug dictionary, the manual provides diagnostic and therapeutic information and commonly used trade names for drugs.
Online Drug Dictionary
Online drug dictionary sources are usually updated more frequently than print guides, but be careful of the information source. Online drug dictionaries may be accessed through handheld devices such as Palm Pilots, Treos and similar interfaces, making them a great resource for tech-savvy medical professionals. Several reputable drug dictionaries to try include:
- The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) provides drug information online. The Drug Information Pathfinder provides myriad links to drug trials, label information for prescription drugs, recalls and warnings issued by the FDA on various medications.
- The Orange Book is also available online. In this book you will find a drug dictionary containing generic drug information, major active ingredients, and much more.
- Drugs.com features robust information on prescription drugs. The site even includes a pill identifier, so if you’re working with someone and they have only the pills and not the original prescription bottle, you can check the color, shape and identifying marks against the Drugs.com database to verify the medication. A secondary search function enables you to look up commonly prescribed medications for various health conditions. There’s even an interactions checker, so if you or a loved one are taking several prescription medications and you are concerned about potential drug interactions, you can quickly check to see what the known drug interactions may be. Written for both the medical professional and the layperson, Drugs.com can provide useful information to help guide treatment.
- Medline Plus, funded by the government, provides a searchable alphabetical database of herbs and supplements. Simply click on the first letter of the herb or supplement name to use their searchable online dictionary. There are secondary links to the Medline Plus Dictionary of Complimentary and Alternative Therapies.
- RX List provides an A-Z drug dictionary, drug identifier, and a pictorial guide to drug identification. There are also frequently updated articles on major drug categories, research findings, warnings and much more. A medical dictionary and reference list of diseases and conditions makes this site an excellent, comprehensive resource for anyone seeking medical information.
- The National Cancer Institute posts a free cancer-specific drug dictionary online. Use the handy search box at the top of the page and type in the medication name, or look up by first letter. Patient information produced by the drug companies links from topic pages where available.
Dictionary of Illegal Drugs
For those who need to understand the world of illegal drugs – and for concerned parents – online drug dictionaries also include street names and slang names for illegal drugs. Indiana University at Bloomington provides a free online source for slang and street names for drugs, although they’ve stopped updating the site. Argot also provides an online dictionary of street drug names.