Worst Pills, Best Pills: A Consumer's Guide to Preventing Drug-Induced Death

Adverse drug reactions are the fourth leading cause of death for Americans, killing 100,000 people each year. How do these adverse reactions happen? Sometimes the prescribed dose is too high, or the drug is given to people who don't need it, or different drugs that are fine separately become dangerous in combination. Worst Pills, Best Pills: A Consumer's Guide to Avoiding Drug-Induced Death or Illness may be your worst nightmare or best friend. This hefty 772-page resource (weighing more than three pounds) is filled with the potential risks of hundreds of medications, pairs of drugs that can cause life-threatening reactions when taken together, and 160 pills you shouldn't take at all, with safer alternatives. The organization of this book can be confusing at first--it's difficult to browse, but if you're checking out your medications, go first to the index of drugs at the beginning, which will direct you to the section where your drug is discussed. After that, the book is organized by ailment. Each drug that is discussed includes brand name(s), generic name, use, possible adverse effects, precautions, warnings (stronger than precautions), when not to use this drug, what to tell your doctor that might affect your reaction, how to take it safely, interactions with other drugs, and adverse reactions that warrant calling your doctor. Considering all the information in here that might save your life, this book is a bargain. --Joan Price