The best way to truly understand your medication

Today, we are going to talk about the best way to truly understand your drug medication. We will start by understanding how people most often learn about their drug medication and then talk about how you can truly understand your drug medication.

First, there is no one pill, drug, injection, or man-made treatment that can cure any disease or illness. This is just not true.

But we do know that everyday millions of people are told to take drug medications for their disease or illnesses. So, we want to make sure you can find out how to learn and understand your drug medication. This means, you want to know the risk of any bad thing happening to you from taking a drug medication that you have been told you have to or need to take to cure or treat your disease or illness.

The most common databases and online resources where people go to learn more about their drug medications are listed below:

  1. Drugs.com: Drugs.com is a comprehensive resource that provides information about prescription and over-the-counter medications. You can look up a specific drug to find details about its uses, side effects, interactions, and more.

  1. MedlinePlus: MedlinePlus, maintained by the National Library of Medicine, offers a wealth of information about medications, including drug descriptions, side effects, dosage, and precautions. It also provides links to reputable sources for further reading.

  1. WebMD: WebMD is a widely used health information website that covers various topics, including medications. You can search for your medication to find information about its uses, side effects, and potential interactions with other drugs.

  1. FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) Website: The FDA’s website provides approved drug information. You can search for your medication to find official prescribing information, including dosage, safety alerts, and regulatory updates.****This is one database resource that we will dive into in a later blog, because it is important for understanding many of the risk of bad things that can happen to you from your drug medication ****

  1. Your Pharmacist or Healthcare Provider: One of the best sources of information about your medication is your pharmacist or healthcare provider. They can provide personalized advice based on your medical history and specific health needs.

Remember, it’s crucial to consult healthcare professionals or reliable sources when seeking information about medications, as they can provide accurate and personalized guidance based on your individual health condition and needs.

Additional Resources Include PubMed

PubMed is a comprehensive online database that provides access to a vast collection of biomedical literature. It is a service of the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), which is part of the United States National Library of Medicine (NLM). PubMed primarily focuses on articles related to life sciences, including medicine, nursing, dentistry, veterinary medicine, and healthcare.

Researchers, healthcare professionals, and the general public use PubMed to search for scholarly articles, research papers, clinical studies, and reviews in the field of medicine and related disciplines. PubMed includes articles from a wide range of sources, including academic journals, research institutions, and government agencies.

One of the key features of PubMed is its extensive coverage of scientific literature, making it an invaluable resource for those looking to stay updated on the latest research findings and medical advancements. Users can search for specific topics, authors, journals, or institutions to access abstracts and, in many cases, full-text articles.

PubMed is freely accessible to the public, and while some articles may require a subscription or purchase to access the full text, many are available for free through PubMed Central, a digital archive of biomedical and life sciences journal literature.

Researchers, healthcare professionals, and students often use PubMed to conduct literature reviews, gather information for research projects, and stay informed about the latest developments in the medical field.

Questions for you to ask your doctor after you have been told to take a drug medication:

1. Where can I go to learn more about my drug medication?

2. Based on my individual case, can you provide me with a list of bad things that can happen to me from taking this drug medication?

3. How long am I supposed to take this drug medication? 

If your doctor tells you that you will have to take a drug medication for the rest of your life, do more research to understand your disease, illness, and drug medication. Drug medications are not lifelong cures or treatments. So, do your research and find out more information to determine what other more permanent lifestyle, exercise, or diet changes you can make instead of taking a drug medication.