Medicines can be lifesavers. They can cure or control diseases. But if you use them the wrong way, they can be dangerous. Working together with your doctor can help you avoid problems. Follow the suggestions below for safe medicine use. Copyright © 2007 American Academy of Family Physicians.

Whether it's Prozac or aspirin, Pepcid or echinacea, DrugDigest reviews drugs, vitamins, and herbs to tell you how to take medicine appropriately, what the product should and shouldn't do for you, and the scientific evidence that advises physicians and pharmacists on when to recommend these products.

Although most Americans are harmed by quackery, few perceive it as a serious problem and even fewer are interested in trying to do anything about it. Many misconceptions appear to contribute to this situation. This article was revised on August 30, 1999.

Despite the advanced state of medical science, many people with health problems turn to dubious methods. Faced with the prospect of chronic suffering, deformity, or death, many individuals are tempted to try anything that offers relief or hope. The terminally ill, the elderly, and various cultural minorities are especially vulnerable to health frauds and quackery. Many intelligent and well-educated individuals resort to worthless methods procedures with the belief that anything is better than nothing. This article was revised on January 20, 2005.

Generic drugs are safe, effective and FDA approved. Generic drugs account for about 50 percent of all prescription drug purchases in the United States, therefore, consumers should be well informed and confident when taking generic drug products.

July 30, 2003. Susan E. Marren, O.D., F.A.A.O. From Lupus News Winter 2001, Vol. 21, No. 4

Approved by Committee on Rheumatologic Care: 02/22/06; 01/11/03; Approved by the Board of Directors: May 2006; 03/07/03

Revised in October 2005

We are all confronted with new information daily. It comes to us via newspapers, radio, television, websites, conversation, advertising and so on. Sometimes it seems like a deluge. Not all information is created equal. Some of it is correct. Some of it is incorrect. Some of it is carefully balanced. Some of it is heavily biased. Some of it is just plain crazy. It is vital in the midst of this deluge that each of us be able to sort through all of this, keeping the useful information and discarding the rest. This requires the skill of critical thinking. Unfortunately, this is a skill that is often neglected in schools. This site is designed to make a point about the danger of not thinking critically. Namely that you can easily be injured or killed by neglecting this important skill. We have collected the stories of over 120,000 people who have been injured or killed as a result of someone not thinking critically. We do this not to make light of their plight. Quite the opposite. We want to honor their memory and learn from their stories. We also wish to call attention to the types of misinformation which have caused this sort of harm. On the topics page you will see a number of popular topics that that are being promoted via misinformation. Many of them have no basis in truth at all. A few are based in reality, but veer off into troublesome areas. We all need to think more critically about these topics, and take great care when we encounter them. Many proponents of these things will claim they are harmless. We aim to show that they are decidedly not. Please check out the list of topics and read what interests you.

U.S. Pharmacist Vol. No: 32:6 Posted: 6/19/2007. Conclusion: Misconceptions and misunderstandings about generic drugs are not unusual. When pharmacists engage patients in a dialogue about their hesitation to take a generic, the pharmacist has an opportunity to assist the patient with selecting the most cost-effective medication regimen. When their concerns are respected and their issues are addressed, patients are more likely to listen to information that will help them make an informed decision about generic utilization. This can result in savings to the patient and the health care system.

Check potential interactions between two or more drugs.

How can food quacks and other vitamin pushers be recognized? Here are 25 signs that should arouse suspicion. This article was revised on July 29, 2004.

The Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP), based in suburban Philadelphia, is the nation's only 501c (3) nonprofit organization devoted entirely to medication error prevention and safe medication use. ISMP represents over 30 years of experience in helping healthcare practitioners keep patients safe, and continues to lead efforts to improve the medication use process. The organization is known and respected worldwide as the premier resource for impartial, timely, and accurate medication safety information.

"Alternative"" promoters are reaching people emotionally. What sells is not the quality of their products, but the ability to influence their audience. Their basic strategies are to promise the moon and knock the "competition." To one and all, they promise better health and a longer life. They offer solutions for virtually every health problem, including some they have invented. To those in pain, they promise relief. To the incurable, they offer hope. To the nutrition-conscious, they say, "Make sure you have enough." To a public worried about pollution, they say, "Buy natural." For ailments amenable to scientific health care, they offer "safer nontoxic alternatives." And they have an arsenal of ploys for defending themselves against criticism. To gain your allegiance it is not necessary to persuade you that all of the statements below are true. Just one may be enough to hook you. This article was revised on December 26, 2002.

Quackwatch, Inc., which was a member of Consumer Federation of America from 1973 through 2003, is a nonprofit corporation whose purpose is to combat health-related frauds, myths, fads, fallacies, and misconduct. Its primary focus is on quackery-related information that is difficult or impossible to get elsewhere. Founded by Dr. Stephen Barrett in 1969 as the Lehigh Valley Committee Against Health Fraud, it was incorporated in 1970. In 1997, it assumed its current name and began developing a worldwide network of volunteers and expert advisors.

The best way to avoid being quacked is to reject quackery's promoters. Each item listed below signifies that a Web site is not a trustworthy information source. The hyperlinks will take you to articles on Quackwatch that explain why. The same criteria can be used to identify untrustworthy books, talk-show guests, etc. This page was revised on September 6, 2006

Warfarin Institute of America

There are many methods of hormonal contraception, the most popular of which is the combination birth control pill. In addition to the pill, however, there are a number of exciting new options of hormonal contraception, which continue to be introduced almost annually. This is an area where new methods and techniques are constantly appearing, and it is difficult to constantly keep up to date with all of our information. But we will try to always present you with as much knowledge as we have, and we will try to update as often as necessary!

Has an interaction checker.

This Guide helps you to find out if drugs interact with each other or interact with food.

AHRQ Publication No. 01-0040c, May 2002. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD.