The Pill Book : New and Revised 9th Edition (Pill Book (Trade Paperback), ed 9)

Rating:
Summary: A Welcome Resource With A Few Standout Flaws
Review: I recently bought The Pill Book after hearing so much about it, then later finding it applicable to my own circumstances. I won't delve into its assets, because I believe they speak for themselves. However, upon reviewing my new purchase, I was disappointed to note a couple of glaring deficiencies in the book's content.

Specifically, the latest edition--somewhat ironically--does not list a certain class of drugs by describing each drug within that class. This facet, regrettably, illustrates what has become common in the marketplace. Products which are "new and improved" or spoken of in similar terms sometimes are not. Things are left out--in this case, a comprehensive description of each drug that was included in the 9th edition. Were it not for my purchase of the previous edition, I would not have uncovered certain side effects of a drug I'm presently taking! If one is going to educate and help the consumer in this important area, one cannot omit such potentially critical and helpful information. Therefore, I would advise the author/publisher to be as comprehensive as possible, and not fall prey to the temptation to streamline everything.

My second reservation concerns the very poignant lack of a section dealing with possible withdrawal symptoms for each drug. Needless to say, one's relationship with medication sometimes involves discontinuing its use; thus, it would make sense to have information on symptoms or side effects accompanying its termination. Again, I have personal reasons for seeking this: recently, I discontinued use of a particular medication, and though my physician indicated what the fallout might be, I'm always interested in more than one opinion. And this is where resources like The Pill Book come in.

Otherwise, I'm grateful to have the book and to have purchased it at such a low price.

Rating:
Summary: If you must take prescription drugs, get this book
Review: Not only does this book describe in detail most new pills (up to 1998), it tells you what side effects you can expect and also shows you what the pills look like in a 32-page illustrated section. If the drug can be addictive, the book tells you. If you are pregnant, you can read how the drug will affect you. If you're nursing, The Pill Book tells you whether a drug prescribed could injure a baby. Tips for senior citizens also are included. This book was made for those people who don't want to just take any ol' pill their doctor prescribes without checking it out themselves.

Rating:
Summary: An Outstanding Reference
Review: This book is indespensible reference for anybody who wants to see the whole picture about specific drug. Yes, some of them do more harm than good as they produce side effects that can overweight prospective cure; also, some relatively harmless drugs can be dangerous if taken together. This book help us get all the facts so we can make the right decission before we actualy start taking drugs.
In response to previous comments related to availability of all information from this book on the web (which is completely true)- it may sound hard to beleive but some people don't use computers! We have millions of seniors and vast majority of them don't surf the net so they may need book like this (sorry, no pun intended)!
By all measures - an outstanding book!