How to Find Reliable Pharmaceutical and Therapeutic Information
Introduction and Definition
Peace be upon you and the mercy of God, with you your brother Dr. Iyad Qanibi, a specialist in molecular pharmacology from the University of Houston, America. My teaching and research experience is in the field of pharmacology, therapeutics, and pharmacokinetics.
Recently, I thought of recording a series of clips that would benefit students in the medical, pharmaceutical, and nursing fields, especially since there is a lack of clips that help the student learn how to access reliable medical or pharmaceutical information. Together, God willing, we will learn how to use some very useful websites for pharmacists, doctors, nurses, and those working in the medical sector in general.
I will mainly talk about the website and application Medscape, then Drugs.com, then RxList.com God willing, then we will move on to other very useful websites.
Starting with the Medscape Application
We start in this clip with the Medscape application. To begin, go to the store (for Android or iPhone) and type "Medscape" and download the application. After opening the application, we type the name of a specific drug in the search box, for example: Levofloxacin (Levofloxacin).
As you know, this drug is an antibiotic, and as a student or medical practitioner, I want to know reliable information about it. Several options will appear to us, including tablets or eye drops, and we will choose "Levofloxacin".
You notice, my brothers, that there is a lot of information about this drug, including:
- Dosage & Indications: Dosages and indications for use.
- Interactions: Drug interactions (and we will have a special clip for them God willing).
- Adverse Effects: Side effects.
Searching for a Specific Side Effect
Medscape is characterized by dividing side effects according to their occurrence rates (e.g., symptoms that occur at a rate of less than 1% and so on).
If you want to answer a specific question without reading the entire text, for example: A patient developed light sensitivity after taking "Levofloxacin" and exposure to the sun, and mild burns appeared on his skin (Photosensitivity), and he asks you: Is the drug the cause?
Simply, we use the search feature within the page (Find in page) and type the word "Photo". We will immediately find under the section of skin and subcutaneous tissue (Skin and Subcutaneous Tissue) the presence of "Photosensitivity" and "Phototoxicity", so the answer is: Yes, the drug may cause that.
Drug Safety During Pregnancy (Pregnancy)
If a pregnant woman asks you about this drug, we press the section Pregnancy. At the top, it will show us: Pregnancy Category C.
We know that the closer the drug's classification is to the letter (A), the safer it is, and if it is (X), it is not safe at all. As for the (C) classification, it falls in the middle, and in a short word, we say: "It is not completely safe during pregnancy," but being in the (C) classification means that there is a balance between benefits and risks that may sometimes require the pregnant woman to take it under strict medical supervision.
We move to another corner, which is the images (Images), where the application gives you the forms of this drug with different brand names and different dosages, and illustrates the color and shape of the pill for you.
This was a quick overview of how to obtain pharmaceutical information about any drug through a long list of useful information, and we will continue, God willing, in another clip about other information.