Pharmacies Books

The Handbook of Food-Drug Interactions
Beverly McCabe, Eric Frankel and Jonathan Wolfe, editors. 2003. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL
ISBN 0-8493-1531-X
The philosophy of interdisciplinary cooperation is clearly emphasized in this book as exemplified by the participation of various disciplines in the health care field. The evidence of cross-training is highlighted by the subject matter and the authors' backgrounds. Contributors include dietitians, pharmacists, a diabetic educator and a medical doctor. Many of the authors have their doctorates in their area of specialization.

The book starts the reader out with some basic concepts of pharmacy, moves on through drug biopharmaceutics, food- drug interactions and metabolism. There are some excellent guidelines covered on the monitoring of the nutritional status in patients on medication schedules, and a review on how aging affects drug metabolism. Gerontology and drug-nutrient considerations go hand in hand in their own unique set of assessments and recommendations. When over 85% of chronic diseases and disabilities that the elderly face could have been prevented by nutrition interventions, this is an especially important chapter for those involved in nursing home care or care of the geriatric client in any setting. This population is also the group most prone to polypharmacy, and, thus, multiple food-drug interaction potentials.

Included as well is a chapter on the importance of the role of the gastrointestinal system (G.I.) in the
scheme of things. For example, the effects of gastrointestinal disease states (GERD, PUD, nausea/vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, pancreatitis, inflammatory bowel disease) and how it impacts drug/nutrient metabolism/interactions and excretion are explored in a broad sense of the word with the inclusion of multiple charts and sample drug dosage recommendations, mechanisms of action and side-effects provided to assist the readers organization and understanding of topic area. The same chapter on G.I. function reviews appetite enhancers, enzyme replacement therapy, drugs to treat lipid disorders, drugs affecting fluid balance, high sodium medications and diabetes insipidus. At the end of the G.I. chapter are numerous print and internet resources to aide the clinician who wants to study the subject area a little further or find some patient education materials.

The remaining chapters discuss nutrition support, obesity and appetite enhancers, alcohol and nutrition, and the role of non-prescription drugs and nutrient interactions. Even counseling and herbs were included in this editorial review of food-drug interactions. The chapter on herbs, counseling and geriatrics are especially compatible because this age group is more likely to not only be victims of polypharmacy, but the use of alternative therapies including herbs rises from approximately 33 % to 42% as the person ages. Less than 40% of patients in one study reported their use of these herbs to their health care practitioners. Thus, the potential for interaction between their drugs and herbs places such consumers at high risk for a negative outcome.

The appendices are truly a work of art covering some of our most common questions such as the contents of different elements in foods (i.e. gliadin, tyramine, histamine, calcium, vitamin K, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, zinc, oxalates, caffeine/methylxanthines, alcohol, and purines); the clinical significance of grapefruit juice/drug interactions as applied in a clinical setting, commonly used micronutrient and electrolyte additive in IV feedings; average pH values of bodily fluids to beverages, the most commonly prescribed generic and brand name medications and drug side-effects are just some of the topic areas.

I consider this to be one of the most extensive pharmacological and scientific reference manuals in press today with almost 200 pages of appendices and 17 chapters that cover a multi-faceted array of topics that portray not only the mechanisms involved, but how to put this knowledge into practical and clinical use. It would make a great library edition, but is not practical, nor is it intended to be, the book you carry with you on rounds. On the other hand, this book identifies food interactions (and their mechanism) that the typical pocket-sized hand-book that you carry on rounds totally misses. This gives health care providers, such as physicians, a clear understanding of why dietitians make their recommendations and helps dietitians understand what recommendations to make. For the pharmacist, this book presents a potpourri of issues that face the pharmacist every day in an encapsulated form. For the doctor, it helps him understand more about the medication (and the alternatives) he can prescribe in light of the presenting problem and recommendations received from the rest of the health care team. Not for the lay reader.

The philosophy of interdisciplinary cooperation is clearly emphasized in this book as exemplified by the participation of various disciplines in the health care field. The evidence of cross-training is highlighted by the subject matter and the authors' backgrounds. Contributors include dietitians, pharmacists, a diabetic educator and a medical doctor. Many authors have their doctorates in their area of specialization. The editors were also multi-disciplinary as were the reviewers.

The book starts the reader out with some basic concepts of pharmacy, moves on through drug biopharmaceutics, food-drug interactions and metabolism. There are some good guidelines covered on the monitoring of the nutritional status in patients on medication schedules, and a review on how aging affects drug metabolism. Gerontology and drug-nutrient considerations go hand in hand in their own unique set of assessment and recommendations. When over 85% of chronic diseases and disabilities that the elderly face could have been prevented by nutrition interventions, this is an especially important chapter for those involved in nursing home care or care of the geriatric client in any setting. This population is also the group most prone to polypharmacy, and, thus, multiple food-drug interaction potentials.

Included as well is a chapter on the importance of the role of the gastrointestinal system (G.I.) in the
scheme of things. For example, the effects of gastrointestinal disease states (GERD, PUD, nausea/vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, pancreatitis, inflammatory bowel disease) and how it impacts drug/nutrient metabolism/interactions and excretion are explored in a broad sense of the word with the inclusion of multiple charts and sample drug dosage recommendations, mechanisms of action and side-effects provided to assist the readers organization and understanding of topic area. The same chapter on G.I. function reviews appetite enhancers, enzyme replacement therapy, drugs to treat lipid disorders, drugs affecting fluid balance, high sodium medications and diabetes insipidus. At the end of the G.I. chapter are numerous print and internet resources to aide the clinician who wants to study the subject area a little further or find some patient education materials.

The remaining chapters cover nutrition support, obesity and appetite enhancers were revisited, alcohol and nutrition was discussed, and the role of non-prescription drugs and nutrient interactions was covered. Even counseling and herbs were included in this editorial review of food-drug interactions.

The appendices are truly a work of art covering some of our most common questions such as the contents of different elements in foods (i.e. gliadin, tyramine, histamine, calcium, vitamin K, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, zinc, oxalates, caffeine/methylxanthines, alcohol, and purines); the clinical significance of grapefruit juice/drug interactions as applied in a clinical setting, commonly used micronutrient and electrolyte additives in IV feedings; average pH values of bodily fluids to beverages, the most commonly prescribed generic and brand name medications and drug side-effects are just some of the topic areas.

I consider this to be one of the most extensive pharmacological and scientific reference manuals in press today with almost 200 pages of appendices and 17 chapters that cover a multi-faceted array of topics that portray not only the mechanisms involved, but how to put this knowledge into practical and clinical use. It would make a great library edition, but is not practical, nor is it intended to be, the book you carry with you on rounds. On the other hand, this book identifies food interactions (and their mechanism) that the typical pocket-sized hand-book that you carry on rounds totally misses. This gives health care providers, such as physicians, a clear understanding of why dietitians make their recommendations and help dietitians understand what recommendations to make. For the pharmacist, this is a potpourri of issues that face the pharmacist every day in an encapsulated form. For the doctor, it helps him understand more about the medication (and the alternatives) he can prescribe in light of the presenting problem and recommendations received from the rest of the health care team. Not for the lay reader.

It is a very usefull book for pharmaceutical specialists. It is a good which
help us very much.

This is an excellent book that contains every phamaceutical excipient that I have ever had the need to know about. I work for a dietary supplement manufacturer and we quite often get calls from customers that want to know all about all those "other ingredients" that are listed on product cartons. The book has a section for each excipient and each excipient has the following sections: Nonproprietary Names, Synonyms, Chemical Name and CAS Registry Number, Empirical Formula and Molecular Weight, Structural Formula, Functional Category, Applications in Pharmaceutical Formulation or Technology, Description, Pharmacopeial Specifications, Typical Properties, stability and Storage Conditions, Incompatibilities, Method of Manufacture, Safety, Handling Precautions, Regulatory Status, Pharmacopeias, Related Substances, Comments, Specific References, General References, and Authors. While I have a background in Biology, I found several of the sections to be easy to understand by several of our employees that do not have a science background. While, still, there was highly technical/scientific information as well. Each excipient's information is contained in 2-4 pages. The book is arranged alphabetically which makes finding information easy. In addition, it contains an index that is very well constructed. For example: If you are looking for an Emulsifying Agent, the index lists all the excipients that can be used for that purpose. I can't say enough how easy this book is to use. Its information is pared down to the essential text, and is chocked full of graphs, charts and microscopic photos of the excipients.

I am a psychiatrist who teaches a short course in psychopharmacology to non-psychiatrists. I get the new edition every year and recommend this book to my students. Having compared the 2004 to the 2008 editions, there is little difference. Only Campral (acamprosate) is not in the 2004 edition. The book consists of lists and is designed for looking up practical points on drug classes and particular drugs. For anyone with any reason to want this book, I believe that it is money well spent.

Once again this small volume of 107 pp. (including an index) covers 17 different sections, including every class of drug used by contemporary psychiatrists. It is small enough to carry in your pocket! Yes, it discusses all the "traditional" drugs along with the newer ones such as Abilify, Geodon, Strattera, Provigil, memantine, pregabalin, duloxetine, escitalopram, Zydis, Soltabs, etc. I use this book every day when evaluating patients in a very busy Level One Trauma Center, and it is just a tremendous resource. I don't know of a more comprehensive volume for the money or the size. Suitable for all levels of mental health professionals...I guarantee that you will not be disappointed. Updates can be downloaded at the publisher's Web site! For those seeking a more comprehensive overview look at the books by Stephen Stahl, Schatzberg et. al., etc. Enjoy!

this book is just what is missing on the medical student book market. have you ever seen a pharmacology textbook shorter than 200 pages? this book is a very valuable guide to your pharmacology revision: it is both concise and informative, written by medical students who know what it is expected of them. i can heartily recommend it to anyone studying medicine or pharmacology.

At last an attractive alternative to the tedious and time-consuming pharmacology books around! Info on over 100 commonly used drugs is beautifully laid out on one page per drug, and all you would ever want to know is there: how the drug works, what it's used for, the side effects, clinically important notes and much more. And what's more, it is different to any other pharmacology book in that it distinguishes between common and rare side effects (clinically, a very valuable distinction). This neat little book also tells you the pharmacological management of common medical conditions such as an acute asthma attack or Parkinson's Disease. As a nurse, I have found "Hands-on Guide to Clinical Pharmacology" a very valuable companion to my practice in hospital! And even better, it's really cheap.

A great reference guide that is still easy to digest, even for a non-health professional. I appreciate the straightforward approach and the fact that its peer-reviewed - it is often quite hard to find truthful & straightforward information about supplements, both pros & cons.

This is the perfect reference for anyone that is taking, thinking about taking, or helping others decide what supplements to take. It is the first book to analyze supplements in a clear, concise, and highly scientific manner. I have already recommended it to my university professors, professional peers, and clients. I also recommend it to you!

I bought this item on behalf of the company I work for. We are all very pleased with the purchase. The information on the DVD is accurate and easy to understand. Thanks!

This is a CD-ROM based program that covers all the training mandates of the HIPAA Privacy Rule for pharmacy industry workers. The program includes job-specific training and examples for retail and other pharmacy settings. The program includes a printed certificate of completion for the student.

This program is the number one accepted HIPAA compliance training course in the US. It has been adopted by over 65% of the drug store employers in the country. Over 500,000 students have taken this course.

from The NYTimes- April 24, 2007

Medicine and the Drug Industry, a Morality Tale
By ABIGAIL ZUGER, M.D.

It was in 1949 that Elvin Stakman, president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, issued the membership their marching orders: "Science cannot stop while ethics catches up."

And sure enough, from bombs to clones, the ethicists have generally kept to the rear of the scientific parade: they are the ones with the big brooms trying to restore order after the floats and the elephants go by.

Those brooms sweep slowly. Often, by the time the ethicists finish laying out facts and weighing relevant moral values, the worst of any given crisis has passed. But recently, those who work in medicine have moved closer to the fray: they staff acute-care hospitals and monitor events in real time, aiming for a little less retrospective philosophy and a little more damage control.

In this proactive spirit Howard Brody, a medical ethicist, has brought his discipline's tools to the relationship between the medical profession and the pharmaceutical industry. This problematic tangle of moral compromise (or triumphant health-promoting collaboration, depending on your point of view) has inspired several polemics by physicians in recent years, all of them straightforward indictments of the pharmaceutical industry and its for-profit webs.

Dr. Brody is also a physician, but he aims for the measured cadences of the ethicist instead, calmly laying out the relevant facts and then reasoning from basic principles to determine whether the medicine-pharmaceutical relationship, as it stands now, is an ethical one or not.

That Dr. Brody manages to deliver a hundred-odd pages of determinedly objective analysis before he, too, lets the righteous indignation roll should not really be called a failure of methodology: even as he carefully lays out the facts in this impressively comprehensive book, those facts begin to speak damningly for themselves.

The small-time operations that grew up into modern medicine and Big Pharma joined together back in the late 19th century, allied in the name of scientific medicine against a variety of dubious health-care entrepreneurs. The A.M.A. actually called the early pharmaceutical companies the "ethical" drug makers, to distinguish them from unscrupulous patent-medicine peddlers.

Over time, this casual alliance has been reinforced with such complex and often invisible bonds that, in Dr. Brody's title metaphor, medicine and pharma are now "hooked" like two pieces of Velcro, tethered by a million barbs and as dependent on each other as any addicts are on their substance of choice.

Dr. Brody systematically analyzes the levels of connection, from the lowly drug salesman buying lunch for a roomful of medical students (future customers all) to the lucrative contracts and patents that simultaneously fuel medical research, fill corporate coffers and give us, as the industry doggedly and quite correctly points out, dozens of truly miraculous life-saving drugs.

Many of these interactions are probably now familiar to most readers: the omnipresent logo-bearing trinkets festooning medical offices, the free samples of the latest, most expensive drugs, the "ask your doctor" television ads.

Less familiar may be some of industry's other friendly overtures: the lavish junkets and cash rewards for some "high-prescribing" doctors; the subtle manipulations of research data; the way-too-generous financing of postgraduate medical education; the very cozy relationship with the Food and Drug Administration and its physician consultants; and a casually Orwellian interference with the average physician's prescription pad.

A drug salesman recalls for Dr. Brody the time his company asked a local doctor to evaluate various sales presentations for a particular drug: "He'd been selected because our data showed that he was a relatively low prescriber. ...Basically, the company was willing to bet $500 or $750 that if he heard the same drug pitch all day, by the end of the day he'd be so brainwashed that he could not possibly prescribe any other drug but ours."

All this mutual back-scratching would be fine if patients' interests were indeed being served. But ample data indicates quite the reverse. Patients, after all, are the ones who pay for expensive drugs when cheaper would do as well, and the ones who swallow dangerous drugs nudged to market by their manufacturers.

Many individual problematic drugs make an appearance here. Chloromycetin, a toxic antibiotic from the 1950s, was relentlessly promoted by its manufacturer for routine use until the day its patent expired. (Still available in generic form, it is now used only as a last resort.) Thalidomide never caused an epidemic of birth defects in this country, as it did in Germany, only because a single stubborn F.D.A. officer was dissatisfied with the drug's safety profile, despite the manufacturer's repeated assurances that everything was fine.

The epitaph of the recently withdrawn painkiller Vioxx, whose virtues were subtly spun to the medical community in prestigious research journals, is still being written in litigation around the country.

"Research that is driven by marketing rather than by scientific aims would seem, in the end, to be low-quality research," Dr. Brody comments mildly about the Vioxx fiasco.

His overall conclusion is similarly low-key: "A profession is not just a way of making money; it's a form of public trust. ...Medicine has for many decades now been betraying this public trust."

It is not a particularly surprising conclusion, and, in fact, there is relatively little in this book to surprise anyone familiar with the territory. Rather than new material, it provides a meticulously referenced compendium of all the relevant history and commentary (including, for full disclosure, excerpts from one of this reviewer's columns in this newspaper).

Its breadth translates into a lack of depth in some areas, especially the final section, in which Dr. Brody tries to outline a feasible solution to the mess. His suggestions are cogent but a little skimpy, given that absent an act of God, it will probably take an act of Congress to pry medicine and industry apart someday, preferably as part of thoroughgoing health care reform.

Still, for a detailed overview of this very jagged terrain, if not for a map of the pathway out, a better general guide than this one is hard to imagine.

Abigail Zuger, a regular contributor, is a physician in Manhattan.

The kind of book I normally like has lots of car chases, gun fights, and amusing dialog as the good guys and bad guys struggle. This book opens with an amusing "Car Talk" anecdote, but sadly has no gun fights. What it does have is the bizarre and fascinating story of the way the pharmaceutical companies have gotten in bed with the medical establishment. Dr. Brody is a medical ethicist, and he paints a very balanced picture of what's happened since the establishment of "ethical" drugs. I assume if you're academically inclined, you'll be convinced by the evidence presented. It's exhaustive. If you're like me, however, what you really want is an entertaining read that tells you something you really ought to know, mainly that a lot of medical research is profit-driven crap, and that many physicians are prescribing expensive name brand drugs because they're being influenced, although they claim not to be, by their drug reps, or they're simply giving in to patients who have seen an ad on TV for a miracle pill.

Although the book for 15 chapters carefully builds the case against the current cozy arrangement between the drug companies and the medical profession, it does so not only in a rigorous manner, but more importantly to readers like me, it sprinkles the chapters with real cases, including dialog from real people that will definitely get your attention. Before the table of contents, the lead quote from a drug company president sets the tone: "If we put horse manure in a capsule, we could sell it to 95% of these doctors." And there are plenty more outrageous statements made by real people.

Here's my disclaimer. I knew Dr. Brody as an undergraduate many years ago and I was curious about what he was doing and about this book. I probably wouldn't have purchased it otherwise because I read almost no non-fiction, except work related technical material, far from the medical profession. I don't know any more about drugs and medicine than the next person, although I have been bothered in the past when I signed in at the doctor's office, using a clipboard with a prominent drug displayed on it, and then been prescribed that same drug a half hour later. But I do read the paper, and over the years there have been an awful lot of drug scandals, enough to make you wonder what's going on. A few months ago Merck agreed to pay $4.85 billion to settle thousands of cases of heart attacks and strokes brought on by their painkiller, Vioxx. And a few days after reading the book, Merck agreed to pay $671 million for overcharging government health programs for 4 of their popular drugs, including Vioxx and Pepcid, when it was still a prescription drug. And this is just one drug company. The book lists many examples, sprinkling them in the chapters like short stories from hell.

The odds are you've probably taken some of these drugs before. Although suspicious of whether this book was worth my time, in the first chapter I was "hooked" when I read about Claritin, a very common antihistamine that I've taken in the past, and its shady history. Like a good mystery, I won't spoil the story by explaining what happened with Claritin, but if you've ever taken it, you should read how marketing triumphed over science.

There are a few places in the book where, by necessity, it bogs down a little in setting the next stage for the extended academic treatise that it is. Chapter 2 was the low point for me, but after a few examples in chapter one I already had an idea that the rest of the book would be more entertaining, an admittedly shallow view. In fact after that the book keeps building outrageous case after case, and letting the facts speak for themselves. In this day and age of hype, both political and marketing, it's hard to read something that is balanced when the conclusion you're being led to is incontrovertible.

So, if you want to learn more about the subject, this is an entertaining book, albeit one that makes some very important points. And if you're a member of the medical or pharmaceutical establishments and you're reading this because it affects your livelihood, then you have all the endnotes and citations that you'd ever need, and I'm pretty sure that Dr. Brody makes his case convincingly. I can guarantee you that I didn't stop to look up any of the endnotes while reading the book, and I was even a little put off that every chapter had pages of them at the end, but I must admit I couldn't help peeking at some of the longer ones when I found they contained interesting mini-stories in their own right. So for the rest of us who need a break from Clancy and Grisham, and yet want to be entertained as well as informed, I'd highly recommend "Hooked".

This book is a must for healthcare professionals in the critical care and/or emergency units of hospitals. It contains individual monographs of approximately 100 frequently prescribed injectable medications used in critical care settings. In addition to frequently prescribed medications, the book also contains information on medications only found in critical care settings, such as hydrochloric acid infusions.

Each monograph contains practical information used by practitioners on a day-to-day basis. Dosing guidelines have hints for making rapid dosing decisions and the "tricks" of dosing conversions between different dosage formulations. A unique feature of each monograph is the Monitor section, which contains the common parameters that should be used to determine efficacy and safety of the medication. Practical guidelines for therapeutic drug monitoring are also included when appropriate, such as the timing for drawing serum levels and interpretation of the serum concentration value. Compatibility with other drugs is also listed. However, this reference only addresses Y-site compatibility issues since this is the most common compatibility information required by critical care practitioners. This pocket reference contains precisely the usable information essential for critical care practitioners.

In today's fast-paced health care setting, practitioner rarely has sufficient time to sit down and leisurely browse through the mirriad of pages in hopes of finding that one specific piece of information that he or she may need. Unfortunately, this is exacly what 99% of drug reference manuals available on the market today offer. On the contrary, this particular reference provides any health care provider in a critical care setting with an instant access to those bits of information about a particular intravenous drug that are so vital. Cross-compatibility is one of them. Within seconds, you are able to easily compare compatibility of a given medication with the rest of the drips already running into your patient. I have never seen a drug reference so concise, so "just what I'm looking for", so specific to the critical care setting!

This book goes over the basics, and without all of the wordy, boring information that other pharmacology texts have. I was searching for some time for a book that did not bore me to tears with needless information, and this was it. In fact, I used it more than the regular nightmare text we were assigned to read. Get it, even a used one, and learn those meds!

I took pharmacology two semesters ago, and it was a complete nightmare because the professor chose a complicated text that has useless information. Now, I have to play catch-up on my own. I searched this site for a few days, and came across this. This is so what I needed. Now, rather than memorize, I UNDERSTAND!! I would advise any nursing student to have this one as an alternate support book to understand medication in a no nonsense way!!

Hello Is anybody out there ?

I also would like to buy this book only via bank account with US Dollars.Give me bank account number and additional procedures.

Please send me all information I need urgently to the address below
mustafaedik@turk.net

Boy did I dread getting an industrial job! After being in academia for sometime (B.Sc., Ph.D., post-doc) I found the task of finding an industrial job daunting. I did not know what to expect nor did I know what type of chemistry job I wanted (medicinal, process, information specialist, etc.. the author describes them all) or how to approach my job search. Dr. Dick Friary has complied all of this material in text that is engaging and enjoyable to read, considering the subject matter. He explains your likely job responsibilities based on: the job you choose, the position sought, your experience, and your level of education (B.A. and higher). This quality of the book makes it timeless (I can use the same book for my next job search when/if needed) and allowed me to realize, for the first time, how the pharmaceutical and related industries function, and where I wanted to fit in! In the end I landed my desired job because this book prepared me for what to expect at interviews (there format, questions to ask and not to ask) and how to evaluate offers (health plans, stock options, cost of living expenses, etc...). In addition my foreign born fellow chemists enjoyed it because it includes information they needed to know about work Visas, etc..