Physician's Desk Reference : Companion Guide 1998

This clinical reference aims to assure safe and appropriate drug selection with nine critical checkpoints: the "Interactions Index" identifies pharmaceuticals and foods capable of interacting with a given medication; the "Food Interactions Cross-Reference" lists drugs that may interact with a dietary item; the "Side Effects Index" pinpoints the pharmaceuticals associated with each of 3600 adverse reactions; the "Indications Index" presents therapeutic options approved for a given diagnosis; the "Contraindications Index" alerts readers to conflicts between the patient's condition and a proposed course of drug therapy; the "Off-Label Treatment Guide" lists medications routinely used for treatment of nearly 1000 specific disorders; the "Cost of Therapy Guide" provides an overview of the relative expense of leading therapeutic options; the "International Drug Guide" names the US equivalents of some 15,000 foreign medications; and the "Generic Availability Table" shows which forms and strengths of a brand-name drug can be dispensed generically and what the relative difference in unit cost might be.