DRUG INFORMATION

The Food and Drug Administration
includes info on approval of new products.

Electronic Orange Book: Approved Drug Products With Therapeutic Equivalence Evaluations
Wondering if your prescription or over-the-counter drug has an approved generic counterpart? This U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) resources provides consumer information about federally approved generic equivalents of drugs. Searchable by active ingredient, proprietary name, applicant holder, application number, and patent. Includes an FAQ. From the FDA Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.

Familydoctor.org: Over-the-Counter (OTC) Medicines Fact sheets on over-the-counter (OTC) medicines, which are "medicines you can buy without a prescription from your doctor." Some of the topics covered include drug interactions, drug-food interactions, allergic reactions, groups at risk for adverse effects (such as children and pregnant women), active ingredients in OTC medicine, and specific OTC drugs such as antihistamines and pain relievers. From the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP).

Over-the-Counter Medicines: What's Right For You?
Guide to understanding and deciding whether to use nonprescription, over-the-counter (OTC) medicines. Subjects include how to read a label, drug interactions, checking for expired medicine, pregnancy and breast-feeding, giving OTC medicine to children, child-resistant
packaging, and protecting yourself from tampering. From the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA).

Herbal Safety Web
by the The University of Texas at El Paso and UT Austin Cooperative Pharmacy Program Sheets, which cover from  Aloe to Wormwood. Herbs are listed with their common and scientific names. Click on a name and you'll get an extensive fact sheet including a  picture of the plant,  where it's found, what it's used for and how it's used, and most importantly a list of safety hazards and possible drug interaction problems.

RxList
provides an online drug index, searchable by generic or brand name, with side-effects information and more.

Drugs.com Offers Pictorial Identification Guide for Pills
Pill Identifier and Drug Image Library. You can get to it by using the "Pill Identifier" tab at the top of the page. The identifier has a wizard that walks you through a series of questions. You provide various pill information, including pill form (tablet or capsule) and shape. You then provide pill color and imprint, imprint is optional and does not have to be complete. Search results include a picture of the pill, most pills had images of both the front and the back, but others had just ones side imaged, generic and brand names of the drug, strength, imprint (if any), and manufacturer. Both the generic and brand names are hyper linked to more information.