1% Thursday: Drug Reference

This week: invest in (and read) a good drug reference book.

Why would I need to buy a book when there’s so much information online nowadays?  Well, speaking personally, I still appreciate my real-paper offline reference.  Why?

• I can find the information much more quickly in the book.
• I know I’ll find consistent, reliable information.  There can be quite a variety online, even on the same site.
• The book I use gives me just the right information.  Not pages and pages, and yet it still gives me the information I need to know about interactions, how to take the drug, what it is, et cetera.
• It works when the power is off, when the internet is down, and when my computer crashes.  In a situation when I need to check something quickly, it doesn’t let me down.

Of course, the downside is that it’s probably wise to buy an updated version of your reference every 2-3 years.  However, the consumer versions of these books are not expensive – a few dollars every couple of years is worth the expense.

Look for a reference from a reliable source that is for sure not more than 5 years old.  The book should have a large number of drugs in it, photos if possible, and key information about each drug.

My favourite is The Pill Book, which has been coming out with new editions quite regularly.

For the UK, you might want to try the BMA Concise Guide to Medicines and Drugs.

What is 1% Thursday?

Every Thursday at Headache and Migraine News (weather permitting) we’ll talk about one measurable, practical thing we can do to make our lives just 1% better.  Usually it will be something very easy, sometimes it will be a challenge.  Let us know if you try it, or share an idea of your own – and maybe a year from now we’ll see that things have really changed for the better!