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Copyright (C) 1991 Publications International, Ltd.


Preface
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     The right drug for the right patient in the right dose by the right route
at the right time.  This rule sums up the decisions made when your doctor
gives you a prescription.  You've helped make those decisions by giving a
complete medical history:  You've informed your doctor of any previous
allergic reactions you've suffered to drugs, foods, or dyes; of any other
drugs you may be taking; of any chronic health problems you may have; and
whether you are pregnant or breast-feeding an infant.  Once you leave your
doctor's office, prescription in hand, you have still more to do as a
responsible patient.
     You must know how to administer the medication you will be taking.  You
must understand and comply with your dosage schedule.  You must know what to
do should side effects occur.  You must recognize the signals that indicate
the need to call your doctor.  All too often, patients leave their doctors'
offices without a full understanding of the drug therapy they're about to
start, with the result that they do not comply fully with their doctors'
prescriptions.  They may stop taking the medication too soon because it
doesn't seem to work, or because they feel better, or because it causes
bothersome side effects.  They may take the drug improperly or at the wrong
time or too often.  They may continue drinking alcohol or taking other drugs,
perhaps not even realizing that such products as cold pills, oral
contraceptives (birth control pills), aspirin, and vitamins can affect the
action of the newly prescribed drug.  The end result may be that they do not
get better; perhaps they will even get worse or suffer a dangerous overdose.
     THE NEW PRESCRIPTION DRUG REFERENCE GUIDE provides the information that
you need to take medications safely.  Along with general information on
reading a prescription and buying, storing, and using drugs, it provides an
introduction to the action of drugs--how drugs work to stop infection, to
lower blood pressure, or to relieve pain.  It provides detailed information on
hundreds of the most commonly prescribed drugs and several over-the-counter
(nonprescription) products, including how to alleviate certain side effects,
whether you should take the drug on an empty stomach or with meals, whether
the drug is likely to affect your ability to drive a car, and whether you can
substitute a generic drug for a prescribed brand-name medication.  You will
discover which side effects are common to some medications and which are
danger signals that require immediate attention from your physician.
     Of course, this book is not a substitute for consulting your doctor and
pharmacist.  They are your primary reference sources on the use of drugs.  But
to ensure that you receive the best health care possible, you, too, must be
informed and knowledgeable about the drugs you use.
