Medicines (original) (raw)

Also called: Drugs, Medications

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Summary

Medicines can treat diseases and improve your health. If you are like most people, you need to take medicine at some point in your life. You may need to take medicine every day, or you may only need to take medicine once in a while. Either way, you want to make sure that your medicines are safe, and that they will help you get better. In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration is in charge of ensuring that your prescription and over-the-counter medicines are safe and effective.

There are always risks to taking medicines. It is important to think about these risks before you take a medicine. Even safe medicines can cause unwanted side effects or interactions with food, alcohol, or other medicines you may be taking. Some medicines may not be safe during pregnancy. To reduce the risk of reactions and make sure that you get better, it is important for you to take your medicines correctly. You should also be careful when giving medicines to children, since they can be more vulnerable to the effects of medicines.

Start Here

• Drugs@FDA: FDA Approved Drug Products (Food and Drug Administration)

• Index to Drug-Specific Information (Food and Drug Administration)

• Information for Consumers and Patients (Drugs) (Food and Drug Administration)

• MedlinePlus: Drugs, Herbs, and Supplements (National Library of Medicine) - Information on prescription and over-the-counter medicines and supplements Also in Spanish

• Think It Through: Managing the Benefits and Risks of Medicines (Food and Drug Administration) Also in Spanish

• Medicines and Children: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish