How To Investigate A Prescription Drug
Do you know how to check out a prescription drug, its dangers, interactions, etc.? Here's how to get full information to use to query your doctor.
I Am Not A Doctor; Not Medical Advice
Just to be safe, here, I’m making it clear that I have no medical training and that nothing in this article is or should be construed as medical advice. This is a simple “How To” on investigating any drug through a usually reliable source: the FDA.
Why Am I Doing This Article?
Two of my favorite publishers here are A Midwestern Doctor and Dr. Joseph Mercola. Together, they provide philosophical as well as actionable information on how I should be treating my body. Recently, in reading an article from the former source, one paragraph stood out and spurred an urge to research:
I thought, “How many people know how to investigate the drugs prescribed for them?” I answered myself, “Not as many as should!” So, here’s a guide.
Why Investigate Your Drugs?
We should be able to trust our doctors, right? But after the last three years of problems with doctors and hospitals giving advice, and sometimes treatment, that was found to be harmful, we aren’t so sure anymore. Also, doctors are besieged by attractive, generous sales reps from the pharmaceutical companies. They give samples, buy dinners, provide junkets, paid speaking engagements, and all sorts of enticements to doctors so that their drugs will be remembered and prescribed before others. (Everything is marketing, isn’t it?) And, it’s been estimated that, if a doctor were to read through all of the information he or she should read to stay abreast of developments, they would be reading for more than 18 hours a day. That’s a profession that’s always on information overload. (Consequently, they are sort of forced to rely on the cherry-picked research information provided by the pharma sales reps.)
If you have questions about the drugs you are prescribed, there is a good way to investigate them using the U.S. Food and Drug Administration websites. (For now, I’ll set aside the controversy about the FDA’s impartiality, because most of the drugs to investigate are not involved in it. And, if you distrust Big Pharma, checking out prescribed drugs for yourself or a loved one is the best way to then talk to your doctor about information you find.)
Where To Start
The FDA has a huge website network devoted to drug information. It can be confusing, but following these links will find good information quickly. Go First to the FDA search Page, https://www.fda.gov/search. Enter your search term, as shown below. wait a few seconds, and you will get a list of many entries. If what you want is in the list, click it and read, download or print it for yourself.
Another way to search for FDA official information on a drug is to use another page, here. This page offers links to many sources of consumer information:
How About The Use of Multiple Drugs?
The FDA site is big, but not difficult to search through. Kind of interesting, too. Lots of information like this on Drug Interactions:
This is the linked PDF version (10-page brochure), downloadable.
FDA Label vs. OTC Label
Many people have never seen the complete FDA label for drugs they are taking. Doctors don’t offer them because they are long (27 pages is a standard length, two columns per page) and full of medical information most of us can’t understand. But within those labels is some information we can understand, especially in the form of warnings. Warnings come in different “strengths.” They are all important, but the ones that are critical are “Boxed Warnings” or “Black Box Warnings.” These are sometimes added after a drug has been in use for awhile, serious adverse events have been recorded, and the FDA has given in and printed a warning for physicians. The one shown below is heavily redacted (because I don’t want a lawsuit). The boxed warning, if used, always appears near the top of the first page left column. Many of these warning boxes, like the one below, have information easily understood by non-doctors; it just depends on the specific drug and the warning . Some are the same as warnings on the short Information Sheet you are supposed to receive with pharmaceutical drugs.
What you should know about the FDA label is the importance of this Boxed Warning. If your drug has one of these when you have located the most recent FDA label in the FDA website, you should pay attention to it. The Outlined Box (with the word WARNING and with all boldface type) is the indication that they are serious about it.
Above is a partial first page from the FDA label of an SSRI antidepressant drug. To find this label, a different database search is required. Go to this link, where you’ll see the page shown below. Follow instructions to find the drug by name or search for it through the alphabet. The next page will list the versions of the drug that have been approved. Click the one you think is the best choice, and a new list will open below the name. Click the one you want. On the next page, scroll down and find the word “Labels for ######.” Click on the word Labels, and the complete drug label will appear in a new window. You can print, save, or download it. (Note: You are safe from copyright infringement; US Government-provided information is Public Domain.)
How About Over-The-Counter Drug Labels?
The label on the package an OTC drug comes in is also a label you should know how to read. FDA has simplified it recently, changing terms like “contraindications” to “warnings.” This label is important, too, but you probably won’t need to have your doc decipher it for you.
Curious About Drugs Taken Off the Market?
On Wikipedia is a comprehensive list of drugs removed from the market, i.e., “withdrawn,” such as Vioxx®, with its list entry shown below. Links with in-depth information are provided in most cases.
To Finish This, How To Buy Prescription Drugs Online Safely
The FDA has provided an article that might help some people avoid a few problems. Click here for the article shown below.
And that concludes this tutorial. Please leave a comment or “like” if you want.