Medicines

• Latest News
• Heat Harms Mailed Asthma Drugs (10/28/2004, Reuters Health)
• Viagra Promising in Pulmonary Hypertension (10/27/2004, Reuters Health)
• Shipping Through Mail Can Degrade Medicine (10/27/2004, Scripps Howard News Service)
• FDA Issues Public Health Advisory on Vioxx as Its Manufacturer Voluntarily Withdraws the Product (09/30/2004, Food and Drug Administration)
• Many Chronically Ill Patients Don't Tell Their Doctors That They Limit Use of Prescription Drugs Because of Cost (09/13/2004, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality)
• More News on Medicines

• From the National Institutes of Health
• MedlinePlus: Drug Information (American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, United States Pharmacopeial Convention) - Information on prescription and over-the-counter medications

• Overviews
• Be an Active Member of Your Health Care Team (Center for Drug Evaluation and Research)
  Also available in: Spanish
• Consumer Drug Information (Food and Drug Administration) - basic information about recently approved medications
• Just Ask! A Dozen Questions to Help You Understand Your Medicines (United States Pharmacopeial Convention) - Links to PDF File
• Think It Through: A Guide to Managing the Benefits and Risks of Medicines (Center for Drug Evaluation and Research)
  Also available in: Spanish
• Use Medicine Safely (Food and Drug Administration)
  Also available in: Spanish
• Your Medicine: Play it Safe (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality)
  Also available in: Spanish

• Specific Conditions
• Chronic Pain Medicines (American Academy of Family Physicians)
  Also available in: Spanish
• Drug Interactions: What You Should Know (Center for Drug Evaluation and Research)
  Also available in: Spanish
• Drug Reactions (American Academy of Family Physicians)
• Enteric Coating: What Is It? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Frequently Asked Questions to Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (Center for Drug Evaluation and Research)
• Generic Drugs: Questions and Answers (Food and Drug Administration)
• Harmful Interactions: Mixing Alcohol with Medicines (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism)
  Also available in: Spanish
• Health Hints: Use Caution with Pain Relievers (Center for Drug Evaluation and Research)
• Just Ask!...About Tips against Tampering (United States Pharmacopeial Convention) - Links to PDF File
• Request a Brown-Bag Check-Up (Institute for Safe Medication Practices)
• Steroid Medicines: How to Stop Safely (American Academy of Family Physicians)
  Also available in: Spanish
• Steroid Use: Balancing the Risks and Benefits (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Treat Medication Samples with Respect (Institute for Safe Medication Practices)
• Your Medicine Cabinet Needs an Annual Checkup, Too (Food and Drug Administration)

• Prevention/Screening
• Therapeutic Drug Monitoring (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)

• Related Issues
• Buying Prescription Medicines Online: A Consumer Safety Guide (Center for Drug Evaluation and Research)
• FDA Issues Public Health Advisory on Vioxx as Its Manufacturer Voluntarily Withdraws the Product (Food and Drug Administration)
• Giving a Subcutaneous Injection (National Institutes of Health, Clinical Center) - Links to PDF File
  Also available in: Spanish
• Impact of Direct-to-Consumer Advertising (Food and Drug Administration)
• Medications and You (American Society of Health-System Pharmacists)
• Prescriptions and Insurance Plans (American Academy of Family Physicians)
  Also available in: Spanish
• Things You Should Know about Purchasing Medications from Outside the United States (Center for Drug Evaluation and Research)
  Also available in: Spanish
• Truth in Advertising: Rx Drug Ads Come of Age (Food and Drug Administration)
• Why Drugs Get Pulled Off the Market (Food and Drug Administration)

• Research
• Medicines by Design (National Institute of General Medical Sciences)
• Outpatient Prescription Drug-Related Injuries Are Common in Older Patients, but Many Can Be Prevented (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality)
  Also available in: Spanish
• Quality of Pharmacologic Care for Older Adults in Two Managed Care Organizations (American College of Physicians)
• Significant Increases in Drug Co-Payments May Reduce Patients' Use of Needed Medications (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality)
• U.S. Generic Drugs Cost Less Than Canadian Drugs (Food and Drug Administration)

• Directories
• Prescription Drug and Other Assistance Programs (Including Medicare-Approved Drug Discount Cards) (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services)

• Organizations
• Center for Drug Evaluation and Research
• Food and Drug Administration
• Institute for Safe Medication Practices
• Poison Help 1-800-222-1222 (American Association of Poison Control Centers)
• SafeMedication.com (American Society of Health-System Pharmacists)

• Law and Policy
• Medicaid Drug Rebate Program (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services)
• Pharmacy Compounding: Customizing Prescription Drugs (Food and Drug Administration)

• Children
• Common Prescription Medications (American Academy of Pediatrics)
• Got a Sick Kid? Don’t Guess. Read the Label (Food and Drug Administration)
  Also available in: Spanish
• How to Give Medicine to Children (Food and Drug Administration)
  Also available in: Spanish
• Teaching Children about Medicines (United States Pharmacopeial Convention)
• What Medicines Are and What They Do (Nemours Foundation)
• Your Child and Medication (National Institute of Mental Health)

• Teenagers
• Understanding Medications and What They Do (Nemours Foundation)

• Seniors
• As You Age...A Guide to Aging, Medicines, and Alcohol (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) - Links to PDF File
• Medicare-Approved Drug Discount Card Tip Sheet (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) - Links to PDF File
• Medicines and Older Adults (Food and Drug Administration)
  Also available in: Spanish
• Medicines and You: A Guide for Older Adults (Food and Drug Administration)
  Also available in: Spanish
• Medicines: Use Them Safely (National Institute on Aging)
  Also available in: Spanish

• Other Languages
• My Medicines (Food and Drug Administration) - Chinese language material