I recently bought The Pill Book after hearing so much about it, then later finding it applicable to my own circumstances. I won't delve into its assets, because I believe they speak for themselves. However, upon reviewing my new purchase, I was disappointed to note a couple of glaring deficiencies in the book's content.

Specifically, the latest edition--somewhat ironically--does not list a certain class of drugs by describing each drug within that class. This facet, regrettably, illustrates what has become common in the marketplace. Products which are "new and improved" or spoken of in similar terms sometimes are not. Things are left out--in this case, a comprehensive description of each drug that was included in the 9th edition. Were it not for my purchase of the previous edition, I would not have uncovered certain side effects of a drug I'm presently taking! If one is going to educate and help the consumer in this important area, one cannot omit such potentially critical and helpful information. Therefore, I would advise the author/publisher to be as comprehensive as possible, and not fall prey to the temptation to streamline everything.

My second reservation concerns the very poignant lack of a section dealing with possible withdrawal symptoms for each drug. Needless to say, one's relationship with medication sometimes involves discontinuing its use; thus, it would make sense to have information on symptoms or side effects accompanying its termination. Again, I have personal reasons for seeking this: recently, I discontinued use of a particular medication, and though my physician indicated what the fallout might be, I'm always interested in more than one opinion. And this is where resources like The Pill Book come in.

Otherwise, I'm grateful to have the book and to have purchased it at such a low price.

and this one truly is. Any family that gets more than one prescription filled a year can benefit from THE PILL BOOK. This book does its best to describe, thoroughly and patiently, the ins and outs of every prescription drug in America, what the drug is meant to do, the side effects, interactions, who should not be taking it, whether generics are available, what to do if abused, if you miss a dose, and so on. There are even color plates of the most widely prescribed drugs. Pharmacy handouts are useful, but what's in THE PILL BOOK is VITAL. It might even save your life; it certainly has saved me money and time. Get yourself the latest edition!

This is one of the most popular books for the layman about prescription drugs. (That other book is "The Essential Guide to Prescription Drugs") The main reason this one is popular is because it's good, and the price is great. Anyone who wants to be active in managing their health care, not just a passive recipient of doctors' orders, should own such a book.

Advantages:
Small and lightweight enough to carry with you to the doctor's office or the pharmacy to discuss. (That other book is larger and much heavier.)
Includes almost all classes of drugs, including some that other book doesn't, and even some injections and inhalers.
Extremely complete lists of potential side effects.
List of the top 200 prescribed drugs in the US.
Articles in the rear of book include "Drugs against Terrorism."
Inexpensive - the price is fantastically good for the amount of information in the book!

Disadvantages:
Includes only US brand names, and doesn't have some of them (the brand of digoxin I take, for example, is not listed.)
The section of pictures of pills is pretty useless (I feel the same about the pictures in that other book, too.) Since it doesn't have them all, why bother?

In Summary: This book costs less than the typical copay on your insurance for a single prescription, and will be more than worth it to you in terms of information.