Take two and don't call me in the morning

Since I've had my past med experience on my mind I wanted to post some more information on "where to go" when you're about to start a new med or thinking about a treatment plan. My research has lead me to two great sites: askapatient.com and medications.com have both been helpful to me in the past.

Medications.com is easy to navigate and even has quick reference tabs for side effects, videos, conditions and questions. This site also provides information in the news about various drugs and a message board that you can use to communicate with people who have taken the medications and they can tell you what experiences they've had. While it's understandable that every persons experience is different as well as their reason for taking the medication, it still is very helpful.

Askapatient.com is a site that I have found the most helpful. It has the same information as medications.com but it's patient created and has more "down and dirty" information on medication and health care opinion. It provides medication reports and FDA alerts as well as a prescription report cards. There are opinion polls which have links to even more related articles on medications.

The News tab is a great resource for todays health care and pharmaceutical news. The news section provides a blurb from the article and a link from the media in where the article can be found. Furthermore, you can find similar articles from that article. Included in the news tab are drug safety alerts where you can enter your medication for an easy check.

Being able to find as many resources for any and all information (good or bad) pertaining to medications you might currently be taking or may be thinking of taking, is helpful. These sites helped me and I felt it was important to pass on this information for anyone who might be considering taking a new drug that they're not familiar with. Also, if you're on a drug and you're experiencing side effects that your doctor insists is not due to the drug....you'll be surprised to see just how many other people might be suffering from the same issues. You're not alone and information is out there, if you know where to look.

Have a healthy day!