Online Medical Reference System (OMRS)

Drug Information Resources

Drug information is a broad field. It covers the fields of pharmacology (the study of the physiological actions of drugs), pharmacy (the compounding, manufacture, and dispensing of drugs), and toxicology (the study of hazardous effects of chemicals). The information resources available in the library vary from dictionaries and handbooks to comprehensive textbooks. You may also want to search the journal literature. The following list of broad categories will lead you to different types of drug information resources in the library.

Environmental, Industrial and Occupational Toxicology and Hazardous Substances may also be of interest to you.

The resources mentioned above can be found in Dykes Library. To find drug information available on the Internet, try MEDLINEplus or RxList.

Guides to the literature

Guides suggest sources in specialized areas that you may wish to consult. In addition, they often contain background information on drug nomenclature, law and evaluation.

Drug Information: a Guide to Current Resources

This is a thorough guide to drug information resources. It also contains chapters on drug nomenclature, laws concerning the control of drugs, and other special topics.

Reference
ZQV
4
S674d
1989

Guide to Drug Information

Although dated, the background information and comparative tables in this edition remain useful.

Z
675
.P5
S517g
1976

Guide to the Literature of Pharmacy and the Pharmaceutical Sciences

Reference
ZQV
704
A571g
1986

Textbooks

These are all located in the book stacks on the second floor unless another location is given.

Basic and Clinical Pharmacology

QV
4
B3102
2004

Goodman and Gilman's the Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics

Reserve
QV
4
G6523
2001

Goth's Medical Pharmacology

QV
4
G684m
1992

Manual of Antibiotics and Infectious Diseases

QV
39
C761m
1995

Using the online catalog to look for drug information

If you have a specific book that you are looking for, just look for it by either the author or title. To find other books with drug information, search using either MeSH Subject Headings or Keywords. Type either the drug name or the drug classification. If you are looking for a specific aspect of a drug, type that word in next to the drug name. For example, to retrieve a list of books on drug pharmacokinetics, choose Keyword and type:

drugs pharmacokinetics

You can also browse the shelves by call number.

Connect to the online catalog.

Drug identification and nomenclature

It may be necessary to look under different names to find information about a specific drug. A drug may have one or more chemical names, a nonproprietary or generic name and a trade name. Many resources exist that provide alternate nomenclature and identify active ingredients for pharmaceuticals.

American Drug Index

ADI's coverage of combination products and over-the-counter drugs makes it a valuable resource. It also often lists inactive as well as active ingredients.

Reference
QV
55
Am35

Merck Index

This resource is limited to single entities, however, it includes chemicals used in household products and industry as well as human drugs. Its scope is international and it includes discontinued agents as well as those still under investigation. It has been published approximately every 10 years since 1889.

Reference
QV
740
M53
1996

United States Pharmacopeia-National Formulary

In 1906, with the enactment of the Pure Foods and Drug Act, the USP-NF achieved official status. It establishes legal standards for drugs manufactured in the U.S. The USP covers active ingredients and the NF covers inactive ingredients.  It is issued annually.

Reference
QV
738
.AA1
U58

Drug Interactions

Drug Interactions : a sourcebook of adverse interactions, their
mechanisms, clinical importance and management

QV
38
S865d
1991

Manual of Adverse Drug Interactions

QV
39
G851m
1997

Foreign drugs

The Extra Pharmacopoeia

This text is valuable for its wide coverage of European drugs and extensive indexing under trade names.

Reference
QV
738
.FA1
M384e
1989

Merck Index

This source is useful because of its broad international coverage and its inclusion of many chemical, generic, and trade names.

Reference
QV
740
M53
1996

New Drugs & Medications

NewMedicines.Org

An online product of The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, NewMedicines.org lists drugs by disease category that are currently undergoing clinical trials. 

FDA New and Generic Drug Approvals

An online listing of newly approved or tentatively approved drugs from the Center for Drug Evaluation & Research. The listing is sorted by drug/product name.