Medical resident here, what primary resources do Pharm-Ds use to look up common side effects/contraindications?

[MindtheGlottis]

I find myself somewhat overwhelmed at times when looking at UpToDate adverse reaction section for medications. Sometimes I just want a quick and easy, "here are the major and most common side effects..." and be done with it.

Don’t take it the wrong way as obviously all side effects and contraindications are extremely important for a prescriber to be aware of. However, when reviewing meds I don’t typically prescribe, I just want to be a bit more familiar with medications outside of my main repertoire.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[mentos]

Lexicomp and Clinical Pharm

 

[steveysmith54]

Whatever our employer offers as a lot of the resources are subscription based. Facts and comparisons is another one that I used in addition to what mentos listed. I also have medscape on my phone since it’s free and easy to use. Sometimes I google prescribing information just to check if I am missing something

 

[Sugoi Travis]

I use Facts & Comparisons at my workplace and the adverse reaction section lists side effects based on how frequently they are to appear in patients (usually broken down as >10%, 5-10%, <1%, etc etc).

 

[VictorOfHungerGames]

Lexicomp or facts&comparisons. Used uptodate while in school but now i dont since i have to pay. Medscape app is great too.

Best of them all? Google. Lol.

 

[radio frequency]

If you look up the medication in Dailymed (free online: DailyMed) you can see the package insert. They usually break things down pretty well in there, too (often with percentages and charts!), but keep in mind newer side effect information may have come to light since the product insert was approved by the FDA and may not be included.

 

[GradVantageRx]

I'm surprised that Micromedex hasn't been mentioned. Its my personal favorite.

 

[Rouelle]

I use Clinical Pharmacology on the computer, Micromedex on my phone, and Lexi’s Drug Information Handbook in hard copy form, depending on where I am.

I also extensively use Handbook of Injectable Drugs for IV compatibility questions, but you would likely never use it as a physician. Lexi’s Pediatric and Neonatal Dosage Handbook is great if you deal with kids.

I assume the Lexi Comp app must be good and contain all the info from the books, but I’ve never used it.

 

[confettiflyer]

UpToDate is reasonable and gives you the quick and dirty. If you don’t want to scan all of the ADR’s just look at the patient printout, it’ll recap the top 2-3 side effects usually.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN

 

[jecpharm89]

I find myself somewhat overwhelmed at times when looking at UpToDate adverse reaction section for medications. Sometimes I just want a quick and easy, "here are the major and most common side effects..." and be done with it.

Don’t take it the wrong way as obviously all side effects and contraindications are extremely important for a prescriber to be aware of. However, when reviewing meds I don’t typically prescribe, I just want to be a bit more familiar with medications outside of my main repertoire.

Lexicomp! By far the best. Most hospitals have it and you can download the app

 

[PharmDBro2017]

I believe all the resources mentioned list ADR/side effects in order from highest to lowest incidence... so I normally just give the top 1-5


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[mustang sally]

UpToDate (usually I just look at the % for each ADR to get a quick idea), Micromedex, Lexicomp.

Just as a quick aside (I was wondering this today at work), why do all physicians seem to use Epocrates?

 

[bacillus1]

Micromedex has a good "patient counseling" section. You can review that before talking to patients. For pretty much anything other than counseling points, I use UpToDate, which pulls in LexiComp and is generally more accurate than Micromedex.

 

[RxPreceptor]

Another vote for Lexicomp mainly because of the organization of information & general uniformity (easiest to read, scroll through on various devices without excessive button clicking....yeah, sorry Micromedex). ADRs are often tiered into % brackets (>10%, 1-10%, <1%, post-marketing, etc.) and further categorized into organ system (CV, endocrine, respiratory, CNS, etc.)

 

[Rouelle]

Just as a quick aside (I was wondering this today at work), why do all physicians seem to use Epocrates?

I think it’s because Epocrates has a dosage calculator and is free.

 

[MindtheGlottis]

Just as a quick aside (I was wondering this today at work), why do all physicians seem to use Epocrates?

I use it cause it's free, like the UI, and it's super easy to review dosing, but that's about it. I know it's not the best but it excels at that one thing

 

[Mambo#5]

I use Facts & Comparisons at my workplace and the adverse reaction section lists side effects based on how frequently they are to appear in patients (usually broken down as >10%, 5-10%, <1%, etc etc).

Percentages are listed in clinical pharm too.

 

[beautifulrobot]

Another vote for DailyMed. It is free (paid for by your tax dollars), and is a particularly good resource for newer medications that are guaranteed to have their package insert (aka prescribing information, aka drug labeling) in PLR format. Package inserts that are in the PLR format have a "Highlights" section right at the top, which will give you the quick and dirty information you're looking for (they were specifically designed to meet the need that you brought up with your question).

Although there might be a bit of a lag time, the FDA does continuously update the package insert with new safety information. (I honestly don't know how often Micromedex, Lexicomp, etc. update their monographs and how it compares to the timeliness of FDA approvals of package insert revisions.) DailyMed also includes the patient package insert that patients typically receive at the pharmacy if you want to refer to it when counseling your patients on medications you prescribe. Although the search function is not the most user-friendly (I recommend searching by drug brand name for best results, and correct spelling is critical), the package insert information is nicely organized IMHO.

 

[KidPharmD]

I find myself somewhat overwhelmed at times when looking at UpToDate adverse reaction section for medications. Sometimes I just want a quick and easy, "here are the major and most common side effects..." and be done with it.

Don’t take it the wrong way as obviously all side effects and contraindications are extremely important for a prescriber to be aware of. However, when reviewing meds I don’t typically prescribe, I just want to be a bit more familiar with medications outside of my main repertoire.

Most people's version of UpToDate actually uses Lexi-Comp's drug information (the LexiDrugs database). Lexi is a common favorite among pharmacists who have a choice more than whatever the company pays for.

I think one of the things you have to realize is that part of our training/experience means that we can skim these denser resources quickly to find what we need. A lot of us are just really good at accessing our peripheral brain quickly because the information/layout is familiar. I think the suggestion of the patient handout is a good one. Common/serious ones are usually there.

 

[CetiAlphaFive]

I find myself somewhat overwhelmed at times when looking at UpToDate adverse reaction section for medications. Sometimes I just want a quick and easy, "here are the major and most common side effects..." and be done with it.

Don’t take it the wrong way as obviously all side effects and contraindications are extremely important for a prescriber to be aware of. However, when reviewing meds I don’t typically prescribe, I just want to be a bit more familiar with medications outside of my main repertoire.

Micromedex or Uptodate. Lol

 

[MindtheGlottis]

Another vote for DailyMed. It is free (paid for by your tax dollars), and is a particularly good resource for newer medications that are guaranteed to have their package insert (aka prescribing information, aka drug labeling) in PLR format. Package inserts that are in the PLR format have a "Highlights" section right at the top, which will give you the quick and dirty information you're looking for (they were specifically designed to meet the need that you brought up with your question).

Although there might be a bit of a lag time, the FDA does continuously update the package insert with new safety information. (I honestly don't know how often Micromedex, Lexicomp, etc. update their monographs and how it compares to the timeliness of FDA approvals of package insert revisions.) DailyMed also includes the patient package insert that patients typically receive at the pharmacy if you want to refer to it when counseling your patients on medications you prescribe. Although the search function is not the most user-friendly (I recommend searching by drug brand name for best results, and correct spelling is critical), the package insert information is nicely organized IMHO.

Appreciate this response. Using DailyMed now and it's exactly what I wanted. Now only wish they had an app but the website will do..