The HSHSL is a part of the University of Maryland, Baltimore | My UMB The Elm UM Shuttle Blackboard
Library Logo

601 West Lombard Street
Baltimore MD 21201-1512

Reference: 410-706-7996
Circulation: 410-706-7928


Guide to Drug Information Resources

This site is a list of drug information resources that can be sorted by the categories of questions they are best suited to answer. Click on the blue icon to see a description of the resource, and click on a resource name to access it (if available). To filter the list, select a category from the drop-down menu below and click "Go."

A Practical Guide to Contemporary Pharmacy Practice and Compounding
  • Handbook on preparing compounded prescription formulations 
  • Available as a print book
AHFS Drug Information
  • Lists drugs in monograph format by drug classes
  • Includes information on other uses, different preparations, chemistry and stability, and special populations
  • Drug monographs provide detailed information about adverse effects and renal dosing
  • Information is supported by clinical trials
  • Available as a print book and online in the Lexicomp database (by searching for a drug, then clicking the result under the AHFS DI header)

Gold Standard in the Following Categories:

Adverse Effects   Dosing/Administration   General Information  
AltMedDex
  • Access through MICROMEDEX through general search by product name
  • Includes information about herbals, vitamins, minerals, other dietary supplements, and acupuncture
  • Includes information about dosing, pharmacokinetics, and clinical use of natural products
  • Addresses issues related to safety and efficacy

Gold Standard in the Following Categories:

Natural Products  
American Academy of Pediatrics website
  • Provides information on pregnancy, breastfeeding, as well as pediatric health information for lay public and healthcare professionals
  • Provides policies and recommendations about the treatment and management of disease
  • Access via http://www.aap.org
Animal Drugs@FDA
  • Searchable database of information on animal drug products approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA)
  • Freely available online
Applied Biopharmaceutics and Pharmacokinetics
  • Overview of biopharmaceutics and pharmacokinetics as they relate to patient care
  • Describes the impact of pharmacogenetics
  • Available as an ebook in AccessPharmacy
Applied Clinical Pharmacokinetics
  • Provides general overview pharmacokinetic principles
  • Focuses on the practical application of pharmacokinetics in patient care
  • Includes information about a variety of drugs (e.g., aminoglycosides, vancomycin, digoxin, antiarrhythmics, anticonvulsants, theophylline, etc.)
  • Available in AccessPharmacy and as a print book (by L. Bauer)
Applied Therapeutics: The Clinical Use of Drugs
  • A case-based review of pathophysiology and pharmacotherapy for common disease states
  • Chapters are organized by organ system 
  • Formerly edited by Koda-Kimble
  • Previous edition (10th, 2013) available as a print book from the HSHSL

Gold Standard in the Following Categories:

Pharmacotherapy  
ASHP Drug Shortages List
  • List of current and resolved drug shortages maintained by ASHP
  • Freely available online
ASHP Injectable Drug Information (aka Handbook on Injectable Drugs)
  • Published by ASHP
  • Provides comprehensive information on stability and compatibility of parenteral drug products only – for non-injectable drugs, refer to DRUGDEX for storage/stability information
  • The IV compatibility portion can be accessed via MICROMEDEX and Lexicomp
  • Available as an online database

Gold Standard in the Following Categories:

Stability & Compatibility  
ASHP Injectable Drug Information: A Comprehensive Guide to Compatibility and Stability
  • Compatibility and stability information for parenteral drugs
  • Organized alphabetically
  • Available as an ebook
Basic & Clinical Pharmacology
  • Overview of pharmacology principles and details of specific drugs
  • Organized by therapeutic class
  • Available as an ebook in AccessPharmacy
Basic Clinical Pharmacokinetics
  • Text is divided into two sections: basic principles and drug for pharmacokinetic monitoring
  • Includes case-studies to facilitate application to clinical practice
  • Older edition (4th, 2004) available as a print book from the HSHSL

Gold Standard in the Following Categories:

Pharmacokinetics  
Basic Skills in Interpreting Laboratory Data
  • Reviews common laboratory tests and summarizes interpretation of test results
  • Tests organized by organ system
  • Includes information on physiology, common disorders, factors affecting tests, and normal values
  • Available as an ebook from the HSHSL

Gold Standard in the Following Categories:

Lab Tests  
Brody's Human Pharmacology: Mechanism-Based Therapeutics
  • Student-focused textbook on the therapeutic impact of pharmacology
  • Organized by organ system
  • Available as a print book from the HSHSL
Casarett & Doull’s Toxicology: The Basic Science of Poisons
  • Textbook on general toxicology principles, toxic agents, and environmental toxicology
  • Available as a print book and an ebook from the HSHSL – ebook is in AccessPharmacy
CDC Yellow Book
  • Health information for international travel, including pre-travel vaccine recommendations and guidance about infectious diseases
  • Updated every two years
  • Not available from the HSHSL
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Website
  • Information and data about infectious diseases worldwide
  • Freely available online
Clin-Alert
  • Summaries of adverse drug reactions
  • Also info on drug interactions, medication errors, and market withdrawals
  • Journal, published bimonthly
  • Available online through the HSHSL
Clinical Pharmacology
  • Drug monographs, investigational drug info, drug class summaries, drug interactions, IV compatibility, drug ID, patient education handouts
  • Online database, not available through the HSHSL
Conn's Current Therapy
  • Evidence-based information and expert opinion on a variety of disease states
  • Updated annually
  • Available as a print book
DailyMed
  • Collection of package inserts (also called drug labels) maintained by the U.S. National Library of Medicine
  • Prescribing information from the FDA
  • A publicly available website

Gold Standard in the Following Categories:

General Information  
Demystifying Drug Dosing in Renal Dysfunction
  • Published by ASHP
  • Evidence-based recommendations for drug dosing in acute and chronic renal dysfunction
  • Includes special populations such as patients in critical care, pediatrics, and organ transplant
  • Available as an ebook from the HSHSL
Dialysis of Drugs
  • Information on the use of drugs in patients undergoing dialysis
  • Not available from the HSHSL
Dietary Supplement Label Database
  • Published and maintained by the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements
  • Includes photos of product labels as well as the information from the label
  • Can search by product, manufacturer, or ingredient
  • Freely available online
Drug Facts & Comparisons
  • Comprehensive drug information listed by drug class
  • Contains appendix with useful charts including FDA pregnancy category, management of drug overdose and hypersensitivity reactions, pharmaceutical calculations, information on manufacturers, normal lab values, etc.
  • Electronic database updated monthly
  • Hardcopy updated annually

Gold Standard in the Following Categories:

Manufacturer Information   Dosing/Administration   General Information   Stability & Compatibility  
Drug Information Handbook (aka Lexi-Drugs)
  • Drug monographs listed by generic name
  • Quick reference to answer general drug information questions
  • Drug shortage information available in Lexi-Drugs
  • Online version is in the Lexicomp database as Lexi-Drugs
Drug Interaction Facts
  • Access through Facts & Comparisons database in the Interactions tab
  • Includes information about drug-drug and drug-food interactions
  • Information organized in alphabetically listing of the mechanism(s), clinical significance, and management of drug interactions
  • Gold standard for FDA-approved products only – for herbs and other non-FDA-approved medications use Natural Medicines database

Gold Standard in the Following Categories:

Drug Interactions  
Drug Prescribing in Renal Failure: Dosing Guidelines for Adults and Children
  • Renal dosing for patients with renal disease, including those on hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis
  • Information organized in table format
  • Available as a print book (by G. R. Aronoff)

Gold Standard in the Following Categories:

Renal Failure  
DRUGDEX
  • Access through MICROMEDEX by general search by product name and clicking on the “In-Depth-Answers” tab of the monograph
  • Lists extensive drug information in monograph format
  • Well-referenced and comprehensive information
  • Includes NDC numbers and detailed manufacturer contact information
  • Contains information on foreign drugs and their manufacturers
  • Adverse drug reaction information is supported by published case reports and clinical trials
  • Drug monographs include renal dosing information
  • Gold standard for storage/stability information for non-injectable drugs

Gold Standard in the Following Categories:

Adverse Effects   Dosing/Administration   General Information   Manufacturer Information   Renal Failure   Stability & Compatibility  
Drug-Induced Diseases: Prevention, Detection, and Management
  • Reference book, organized by body system
  • Regulatory and legal information about drug safety 
  • E-book available through HSHSL
DRUG-REAX
  • Access through MICROMEDEX via Drug Interactions tool
  • Database includes information about drug-drug, drug-food, drug-pregnancy/lactation, and drug-laboratory interactions
  • Convenient to use format allows searching for interactions among multiple drugs
  • Gold standard for FDA-approved products only – for herbs and other non-FDA-approved medications use Natural Medicines database

Gold Standard in the Following Categories:

Drug Interactions  
Drugs During Pregnancy and Lactation: Treatment Options and Risk Assessment
  • Guidance on the use of drugs during pregnancy and breastfeeding
  • Organized by therapeutic class
  • Previous edition (2nd, 2007) available as an ebook and print book from the HSHSL
Drugs in Pregnancy & Lactation
  • The most complete resource for information on use of drugs in pregnant and breastfeeding women
  • Well-referenced summaries of clinical studies; focus on data from human studies
  • Available as a print book and ebook (by G. G. Briggs) and in the Lexicomp database (by searching for a drug and then clicking on it under the Briggs Drugs in Pregnancy and Lactation header)

Gold Standard in the Following Categories:

Pregnancy & Lactation  
Drugs.com
  • Free version contains similar features to Micromedex and Lexicomp – monographs, interaction and identification tools, and more
  • Professional version contains more detailed information
  • Freely available online
European Drug Index
  • Published by European Society of Clinical Pharmacy
  • Directory of drug products available in Europe by trade and generic name
  • Includes product ingredients, dosage strengths, and manufacturer
  • Available as a print book (by N. F. Muller)
Exotic Animal Formulary
  • Drug formulary for exotic animals
  • Recommended indications and dosages for drugs, information on diagnosing diseases
  • Not available from the HSHSL
Extemporaneous Formulations for Pediatric, Geriatric and Special Needs Patients
  • Published by ASHP
  • Formulations for nonsterile compounds, especially oral products that are not commercially available
  • Not available from the HSHSL
Extended Stability for Parenteral Drugs
  • Published by ASHP
  • Monographs on parenteral drugs
  • Information on extended drug stability
  • Not available from the HSHSL
FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine
  • Information on animal drugs, food, and medical devices from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA)
  • Freely available online
FDA Drug Shortages
  • Database of drug shortages maintained by the FDA
  • Freely available online
FDAble
  • Searchable compilation of adverse drug events from FDA's MedWatch, FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS), Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience (MAUDE), and Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS)
  • Openly available online
Gahart’s Intravenous Medications: A Handbook for Nurses and Health Professionals
  • Now published by Elsevier
  • Monographs on over 400 IV drugs
  • Updated annually
  • 2019 edition available as an ebook
Geriatric Dosage Handbook (aka Geriatric Lexi-Drugs)
  • A pocket-sized reference for drug dosage in geriatric patients
  • Includes dosage recommendations for patients with renal and hepatic failure\
  • Available as a print book at the HSHSL and online in the Lexicomp database (as Geriatric Lexi-Drugs)
Goldfrank’s Toxicologic Emergencies
  • Discusses clinical implications of toxicity and poisoning
  • Case-based presentation highlights medical management of toxicity and poisoning.
  • Available in AccessPharmacy and as a print book (by L. Goldfrank)
Goldman-Cecil Medicine
  • A comprehensive medical reference with information about the pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment of disease states
  • Formerly known as Cecil Textbook of Medicine\
  • Previous edition (25th, 2016) available as a print book from the HSHSL

Gold Standard in the Following Categories:

Diseases & Diagnoses  
Goodman & Gilman's Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics
  • A comprehensive reference with information about the pharmacology, pharmacodynamics, and therapeutic applications of medications
  • Chapters are organized by drug class
  • Available online in AccessPharmacy
     

Gold Standard in the Following Categories:

Pharmacology  
Guide to Diagnostic Tests
  • Reference guide on common diagnostic and lab tests
  • Available as an ebook from the HSHSL
Handbook of Basic Pharmacokinetics
  • A quick reference guide for clinicians who need concise information on the pharmacokinetic characteristics of specific drugs
  • Features profiles of more than 600 drugs
  • Previous edition (6th, 2004) available as a print book from the HSHSL
Handbook of Nonprescription Drugs
  • A comprehensive resource for nonprescription drugs and self-care
  • Includes information about pharmacological and nonpharmacological treatments, preventative measures, herbal products and homeopathic remedies
  • Organized by disease system and body systems
  • Includes algorithms for assessment, therapy, and monitoring
  • Available as a print book from the HSHSL

Gold Standard in the Following Categories:

Nonprescription Drugs