FAQ: Drug Information
Question: Where can I find information about drugs, including formulations and interactions?
Answer: We can only direct you to drug information resources. We encourage you to ask your doctor or pharmacist for drug information.
US Drug Information
The Drug Information Portal is a gateway to current drug information from the National Library of Medicine® (NLM) and other key government agencies.
http://druginfo.nlm.nih.gov/drugportal/drugportal.jsp
More NLM tools to find drug information:
- MedlinePlus® Drugs, Supplements, and Herbal Information provides information about prescription drugs, over-the-counter medicines, dietary supplements, and herbal remedies. Includes side effects, dosage, special precautions, and more.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginformation.html - DailyMed® provides information about prescription drugs as found in medication package inserts.
http://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/about.cfm - MEDLINE/PubMed or TOXLINE® provide citations to published biomedical journal research articles for professionals. For more information, see the MEDLINE® Fact Sheet at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/factsheets/medline.html and the TOXLINE® Fact Sheet at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/factsheets/toxlinfs.html
- DIRLINE® provides information about organizations dealing with drug information.
http://dirline.nlm.nih.gov/
The Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has expertise to answer some drug information questions.
http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/default.htm
A CDER contact form is at http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/email/cder/comment.cfm or write to druginfo@fda.hhs.gov
FDA tools to find drug information, including formulations and interactions:
- Orange Book: Approved Drug Products with Therapeutic Equivalence Evaluations
http://www.fda.gov/cder/orange/default.htm - The Green Book: FDA Approved Animal Drug Products
http://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/Products/ApprovedAnimalDrugProducts/UCM042847
International Drug Information
- British National Formulary (BNF) (free ONLY to residents of the UK and selected developing countries; a list of developing countries is at http://www.bnf.org/bnf/extra/current/450070.htm
http://www.bnf.org/bnf/index.htm - International drug and food safety organizations, from the US Food and Drug Administration
http://www.fda.gov/InternationalPrograms/default.htm - European Medicines Agency from the European Union
http://www.ema.europa.eu/ema/index.jsp - Heads of Medicines Agencies can be searched by country for authorities in the European Union and Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein.
http://www.hma.eu/index.html - WHO Model Formulary from the World Health Organization
http://www.who.int/medicines/en/
Organizations
- American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP)
http://www.ashp.org/ - International Pharmaceutical Federation (IPF)
http://www.fip.org/www/index.php - Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA)
http://www.phrma.org/ - International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA)
http://www.ifpma.org/
Additional Resources
- Contact your local public, hospital, or university library to ask what resources are available to you.
- Look for information on a drug company's Web site or on other sites such as Drug Digest, which includes drug interactions and drug comparisons at http://www.drugdigest.org/wps/portal/ddigest.
- NLM does not maintain a list of gluten free drugs or foods. We suggest you check your pharmacy or the drug manufacturer for ingredients.
NLM is not responsible for the availability or content of external sites, nor does NLM endorse, warrant, or guarantee the products, services or information described or offered at other sites.
Related Resource
Learn About Drugs - Drug Information from the National Library of Medicine
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http://www.nlm.nih.gov/services/drug.html
