Includes bibliographical references and index.

"A one-stop guide to the major types of drugs in use today. This new reference helps readers to understand the different kinds of drugs, how they work, and how they interact with foods and other durgs. Each article discusses a particular drug's history, its purpose, what it treats, how it is used, off-label uses, differences in its use and effect among varying ethnic and social groups, side effects, and future prospects for improvements or new drugs of the same type. Also discussed are the history of the pharmaceuticals industry in the United States, the Food and Drug Administration approval process for new drugs, and the economic, political, and social issues that affect the development and sale of therapeutic drugs. Appendixes include abbreviations commonly used in prescriptions, common errors with medications, online drug databases, prescription drug assistance programs, state boards of pharmacy, pharmaceutical associations, and bibliographies"--,Provided by publisher.