Micromedex, a drug information database, supports targeted searches for specific drug information. Simply type a question into the search box, such as “what drugs treat Lyme disease,” and you’ll be presented with a list of results as shown below:
The display feature across the top of the results allows you to narrow the search by disease, toxicology, alternative medicine, or reproductive risk information.
If you need dosing information—let’s say for carvedilol—type “dosing for carvedilol” in the search box and you’ll go directly to the drug’s dosing and indications information. Interested in drugs with FDA approval for a specific condition—for example, alopecia? Type “what is FDA approved for alopecia” in the search box and the results will show a list of drugs linked to therapeutic uses.
Another useful targeted search is for drugs causing an adverse reaction. If a patient has developed a skin rash and is currently taking 15 different medications, it would be time consuming to read about each individual medication. Simply type “drugs that cause skin rash” in the search box and you’ll be presented with an alphabetical list that allows you to quickly locate the drug of interest.
An alphabetical list of confusing drug names, including look-alike and sound-alike name pairs can be found with a single targeted search. Type any of the following search terms in the search box: “do not confuse,” “confused drug names,” “look alike sound alike,” or “do not confuse list.” An example of the results for the search “do not confuse list” is shown below:
For more information about targeted searching, please direct your browser to Targeted Searches in the Micromedex help section. For additional help using Micromedex, contact the HSLS Main Desk at 412-648-8866 or send an e-mail to Ask a Librarian.
~ Nancy Tannery