From family and friends on social media that post head-scratching medical advice, to a variety of websites that offer information stemming from questionable sources, and to misinformation being spread via word-of-mouth, it is easy and all-too-common to obtain false medicine information.
Below is a listing of trustworthy resources to utilize while seeking information about medicines and supplements. These resources are U.S. government-sourced and are commonly referred to by healthcare practitioners themselves. However, information is easy-to-interpret from these selected resources. These are convenient resources for everyday individuals to utilize while trying to educate themselves about prescription medicines, over-the-counter (OTC) medications, supplements, or anything of the sort.
1. DailyMed
An online resource provided by the US Library of Medicine via the National Institutes of Health (NIH), DailyMed is a free database that provides an array of drug information for products marketed in the United States. Many unapproved medicines, such as vitamins, are also described in DailyMed.
DailyMed provides information about human drugs, animal drugs, and it also has a link to a tool (Pillbox) to help identify tablets and capsules. With DailyMed, readers can obtain information related to indications (drug purposes), doses, contraindications, warnings and precautions, adverse reactions, drug interactions, uses in specific populations, inactive ingredients, storage information, packaging information, and other more scientific-based pharmacology information.
Tip: after you click on a drug name from the search screen, you can easily access the PDF of the product label (package insert) by clicking on the hyperlink toward the top of the page entitled “Download Drug Label Info”. In the image below, this is right underneath the orange text that reads “Drug Label Information”.
2. MedlinePlus
MedlinePlus is another credible and approachable resource provided by the US Library of Medicine. A wide variety of information is available through this website, but the “Drugs and Supplements” section is especially relevant. Information made available through MedlinePlus is similar to information found in DailyMed (they are both sourced from the US Library of Medicine), but information provided here tends to be a bit more succinct than in DailyMed.
Of special note, MedlinePlus has a thoughtful section of information on herbs and supplements.
3. Package Inserts
When the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves a drug product, it also produces a detailed label for that product. This is called a package insert. Package inserts encompass information derived from clinical trial data and are reliable sources of information about drug products that stem directly from the FDA and the product’s manufacturer.
There are a number of different ways to access a package insert. However, two of the easier ways to do so are via the FDA Label Database and/or via DailyMed.
4. Drugs@FDA
Drugs@FDA is a resource that breaks down which medicines are approved by the FDA. This resource isn’t necessarily a go-to for clinical information, but rather this is a useful resource if you want information about approval dates, information about labeling updates, or information about the different marketing statuses of drugs.
Tip: if you are curious about when a drug was approved, you can use this resource to find that information. Similarly, if you are curious to discover which drugs were approved during a certain time frame, you can search drug approvals by month and year as well.
5. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS)
The ODS is one of the more robust resources available online that focuses solely upon dietary supplements. Under the “Health Information” tab, readers can access comprehensive fact sheets about different dietary supplements, watch videos about what individuals should consider when looking to start a new dietary supplement, there’s a frequently asked questions page, and readers can also learn what to look for on labels of different products.
Additionally, readers can even obtain an estimate for personal nutrient recommendations based off of basic demographics data. This tool estimates BMI, estimated caloric needs, macronutrients, vitamins, and minerals.
Tip: if you want to ask someone within this office a question about a dietary supplement, you can write or message them a request for information.
6. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) Clearinghouse
If you’re an individual who is interested in complementary and alternative medicine, the NCCIH Clearinghouse is one of the best places to obtain information related to that. This is essentially one-stop shopping for that.
Complementary medicine and alternative medicine are similar in concept. Both are not backed by traditional scientific evidence, but certain individuals are enthusiastic about their usage in the treatment of the overall human experience. Complementary refers to the incorporation of a non-traditional medicine practice/substance alongside conventional therapy whereas alternative medicine uses a non-traditional medicine practice/substance in place of conventional therapy.
Non-traditional medicine practices are seemingly endless, but they consist of practices such as acupuncture, aromatherapy, hypnosis, meditation, homeopathy, etc.
Note: Pharmacist Consult does not promote the use of any practices that aren’t backed by scientific evidence. However, these types of practices are common and it’s important to get information about them from a credible resource.
7. PubMed
To preface, PubMed is the one resource on this list that is best understood if you have some sort of medical background. However, it is still free and accessible to everyone. This is also a resource that is provided by the US Library of Medicine via the NIH.
If you want to access information related to a trial, this is the source to utilize. All sorts of published trials are included in this database – clinical trials, case reports, retrospective analyses, etc. PubMed is a dynamic search engine for trials, and this page details how to manage your search inquiries to maximize results from the engine.
8. FDA CDER Division of Drug Information
The FDA is comprised of many different divisions that form the agency as a whole. One of the more helpful divisions for obtaining drug information, from the public perspective, is the Division of Drug Information (DDI).
Of note, the DDI website doesn’t function like a search engine like some of the prior mentioned resources do. DDI has a strong social media presence to share reliable drug information (Facebook and Twitter), and it even hosts a number of podcasts. DDI is also one of the few resources contained within this article that also has a phone number that you can call if you would like to speak with a pharmacist about a specific product. Or, depending upon preference, you can email a pharmacist as well. If you don’t feel comfortable navigating online resources or if you’re at an impasse with a medicine question, this is a quality resource to utilize.
Tip: if you want to contact a pharmacist to obtain objective information about a drug product, that is possible through DDI. Call +1 (855) 543-3784 or email druginfo@fda.hhs.gov to reach a pharmacist within DDI.
9. Local Pharmacist
Pharmacists are known as the most accessible healthcare provider, and this is for good reason. The pharmacist at your local pharmacy and/or the pharmacist at your mail-order facility endured intense education and training that allowed them to become a registered pharmacist. Pharmacists are known for being able to provide free medical guidance, so contacting your pharmacist via the phone, web, or in-person is an excellent course of action. Plus, if you use the same pharmacy regularly, the pharmacist likely has a solid idea about your medical history. Because of this, they can provide a personalized recommendation that may be more useful than information provided from a generalized drug information resource.
For some encouragement, asking your local pharmacist questions about medical advice is something that is generally well-received amongst pharmacists. Especially in the retail setting, pharmacists become bogged down with mundane issues and tasks that utilize their time but not their clinical capabilities. If you ask your pharmacist for advice, it is an opportunity for them to step out and let their knowledge shine.
Although all of the above resources are excellent resources to utilize for self-education, remember to always consult your doctor for any pressing concerns and/or questions. Also, every time you start taking a new medicine or supplement, ensure that your doctor knows about that addition if they did not prescribe the medicine themselves. This is important to help prevent drug interactions and other related issues.
Resources:
- Online Health Information: Is it Reliable? National Institutes of Health. https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/online-health-information-it-reliable. Accessed 19 February 2020.
- Evaluating Health Information. MedlinePlus. https://medlineplus.gov/evaluatinghealthinformation.html. Accessed 19 February 2020.
- How to Find Reliable Health Information. National Human Genome Research Institute. https://www.genome.gov/Genetic-and-Rare-Diseases-Information-Center/Finding-reliable-health-information. Accessed 20 February 2020.
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