Pharmacy: Drug Info. Resources Mapped to Question Types
Created by Health Science Librarians
Selecting a Resource for your Drug Information Question
What resource should I begin with? It depends upon the type of question. This table identifies specific resources, as starting points, to answer common question types (listed alphabetically).
| Question Type | First Choices | Next Choices |
|---|---|---|
|
Adverse effects |
Meyler's Side Effects of Drugs (print book), AHFS Drug Information |
Micromedex (on-campus only), Facts & Comparisons |
|
Bioequivalency |
||
|
Chemical Data |
Micromedex (on-campus only) |
|
|
Clinical Trials |
||
|
Comparative Information |
AHFS Drug Information, Facts & Comparisons, Micromedex (on-campus only) |
|
|
Contraindications |
AHFS Drug Information, Facts & Comparisons, Micromedex (on-campus only) |
Manufacturers’ websites, NLM Drug Information Portal, PubMed |
|
Cost |
CMS website, Johns Hopkins ABX Guide (only for antibiotics) (Note: Red Book is no longer available) |
Commercial web sites such as GoodRX.com †, contacting Manufacturer(s) |
|
Disease state information |
Micromedex (on-campus only), VisualDX |
|
|
Dosage recommendations |
AHFS Drug Information, Facts & Comparisons, Micromedex (on-campus only) |
DailyMed, Manufacturers’ websites |
|
Drug administration |
AHFS Drug Information, Facts & Comparisons, Micromedex (on-campus only) |
Manufacturers’ websites, NLM Drug Information Portal |
|
Drug interactions (drug-drug, drug-food, drug-lab tests, drug-disease, etc.) |
Facts & Comparisons, Micromedex (on-campus only) |
|
| Drugs for HIV/AIDS | ClinicalInfo.HIV.gov Drug Database | Facts & Comparisons, Micromedex (on-campus only) |
|
Drugs in pregnancy and lactation |
Drugs in Pregnancy and Lactation (Briggs), (Briggs also available via Facts & Comparisons), LactMed, Medications and Mothers' Milk |
|
|
Herbal, natural & homeopathic products, dietary supplements |
MEDLINEPlus, Embase, Micromedex (on-campus only), product websites |
|
|
Identification (foreign) |
Facts & Comparisons, Micromedex (on-campus only) |
|
|
Identification (domestic) |
Facts & Comparisons, Micromedex (on-campus only) |
Product websites (see How Supplied section of package insert) |
|
Immunization schedules |
||
|
Industry |
BCC Research, Nexis Uni (contains Pink Sheet, MedTech Insight, In Vivo, Scrip Intelligence) |
|
|
IV compatibility |
ASHP Injectable Drug Information : A Comprehensive Guide to Compatibility and Stability (2021 ed., 2025 coming soon), Pediatric Injectable Drugs: The Teddy Bear Book |
Micromedex (on-campus only) |
|
Manufacturer’s contact information |
Manufacturers' websites |
|
|
Non-proprietary and Proprietary Names |
AHFS Drug Information, Drugs@FDA, Facts & Comparisons, Micromedex (on-campus only) |
DailyMed, product websites |
|
Nursing considerations |
||
|
Over-the-counter products |
Facts & Comparisons, Micromedex (on-campus only) |
Product websites |
|
Patient counseling/education |
Facts & Comparisons, Micromedex (on-campus only) |
|
|
Pharmacokinetics |
AHFS Drug Information, Facts & Comparisons, Micromedex (on-campus only) |
|
|
Pharmacology |
AHFS Drug Information, Access Pharmacy, Facts & Comparisons, Micromedex (on-campus only) |
Embase, product websites, NLM Drug Information Portal |
|
Regulatory/legal information |
||
|
Therapeutic use (approved indications) |
AHFS Drug Information, Facts & Comparisons, Micromedex (on-campus only) |
|
|
Therapeutic use (off-label uses) |
AHFS Drug Information, Micromedex (on-campus only) |
|
|
Toxicology/poisoning |
Facts & Comparisons, Micromedex (on-campus only) |
|
|
Current news |
News websites |
†Commercial website, use for informational purposes only.
Table adapted from the University of Washington Health Sciences Library; reused and revised with permission.