Stockley’s drug interactions 2009 pocket companion

OVERALL RATING Good

STRENGTHS Thoroughly researched, evidence-based, rationally organized, an enduring product of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain

WEAKNESSES Targeted to British and US audiences; its utility and shelf-life are diminished by constantly updated hand-held electronic resources

AUDIENCE Health professionals who prescribe and evaluate drug therapy

This compact reference provides practitioners with ready access to clinically relevant evidence-based information on interactions among pharmaceuticals, several herbal products, and dietary supplements. More than 1500 monographs are cross-referenced alphabetically according to nonproprietary names and US approved names where those differ. Canadians must bear such nuances in mind, as acetaminophen is called paracetamol; meperidine is called pethedine; and cyclosporine is spelled ciclosporin. The book lists drugs that are not available in Canada; conversely, some drugs that are marketed in Canada are not included. The compact dimensions of the physical book (10.5 cm × 18.5 cm × 2.5 cm) are maintained by locating the references on-line (http://medicinescomplete.com) and by omitting interactions involving anesthetics, specialist use of multidrug antiviral treatments, and antineoplastic regimens. Editions are being published in yearly succession, but even at the time of print a number of new interactions, such as reduced efficacy of clopidogrel with proton pump inhibitors or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors interfering with tamoxifen, have appeared in Lexi-Interact updates and the Canadian version of The Medical Letter on Drugs and Therapeutics.1,2

Much like the drug-interactions component of integrated hand-held electronic programs, such as Lexi-Comp drug information software (www.lexi.com), this hardcopy reference provides quite current information about the putative mechanism, nature, frequency, and seriousness of drug interactions, including suggestions on how to accommodate those interactions with potentially safer drug choices. Although in competition with its regularly updated electronic hand-held counterparts, this little book is reasonably priced and works without batteries.

• Copyright© the College of Family Physicians of Canada