Drug information/PDA: I got a letter

Drug information/PDA: I got a letter
Pharmacist's Letter: PDA Version
What's the difference between a Pocket PC Phone and a PocketPC Smartphone? I'm installing Pharmacist's Letter on my Windows Mobile 5.0 PDA. ... www.pharmacistsletter.com

I got a letter

Most students and pharmacists subscribe to Pharmacist Letter. But how helpful is it? Well, as you know I work at Walgreens and pharmacists usually get their Pharmacist Letter there. Most of the time they don't have time to read it, but usually if I have a chance, I take my peaks at it.
Pharmacist Letter includes unbiased evidence and advice, detail documents, charts and patient handouts, answers to medical rumors, updates on newly approved drugs, and it has Palm or Pocket PC version with web like searchability for free; in addition, it offers continuing education.
One weekend, one of the pharmacist pointed out this interesting article about Hormonal Contraception. I read it, and I actually carry a copy of it with me. Well, when I had the therapeutic module on hormones I really didn't feel we got lots of information on the different kinds of hormonal contraception. I guess there is so many of them and so little time in class to discuss about them, but this article talks about the different options, combined oral contraceptives, phasic pill, the effectiveness, the extended and continues regimens, and breakthrough bleeding; in addition, it has a table of comparison of oral contraceptives. This is just some of the information that this article contained. The article is from August 2006, Volume 22, Number 220809.

Common pill Complaints:

1. Too much estrogen... Nausea, bloating, breast tenderness, increased blood pressure, melasma, headache.
2. Too little estrogen... Early or mid-cycle breakthrough bleeding, increased spotting, hypomenorrhea.
3. Too much progestin... Breast tenderness, headache, fatigue, changes in mood.
4. Too little progestin... Late breakthrough bleeding.
5. Too much androgen... Increased appetite, weight gain, acne, oily skin, hirsutism, decreased libido, increased breast size, breast tenderness, increased LDL cholesterol, decreased HDL.

Simply awesome resource

I have become familiar with several resources the and one of them is the Merck Manual. The Merck is a huge drug resource for health professionals, and it provides lots of information. The Merck Manual online is free and; it is also available for PDA download for $49. Merck Manual Online is divided by sections (disease), index (drugs), and symptoms. It gives you the etiology, evaluation, history, physical examination, testing, and treatment along with vivid color pictures if available of the disease. Today, I was at work and one the pharmacist was looking for treatments of diverticulitis and she could not find ciprofloxacin in the resource she was looking at, but sure enough it was listed in Merck. Merck is a huge company created by health professional for health professionals. Overall this drug resource information is pretty handy, and if you don't believe me check it out for yourself at:
http://www.merck.com/
The following website is for their home page but if you go to the prescribing information and pick a drug it will give the information, but just a note I believe these are only Merck products.
http://www.merckservices.com/

Pharmacist Guide to Health care Information on the World Wide Web.

So, I was doing some cleaning I found this directory that has helpful websites. Here just a few...

Hypertension Treatment Guidelines
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/hypertension/jncintro.htm

AIDS/HIV infection
It provides comprehensive information about the acquired immunodeficiency as well as prevention information. Available in Spanish and English.
http://hivinsite.ucsf.edu/

Allergic rhinitis
Provides links to prevention, diagnosis, and management.
http://www.aaaai.org/

Bipolar disorder/Manic-depressive illness
Features of the site includes answers to frequently asked questions, treatment information, support, groups, books, and other publications.
http://www.pendulum.org/

Cholesterol/Dyslipidemias/Atherosclerosis
This website is an interactive cholesterol education site divided into sections for people who whant to prevent heart disease and people who have heart disease. Users who know their LDL can get customized information to their associated risk level.
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/chd

There is so much more, but I will add them as I look into them...

Clinical Pharmacology Online

Clinical Pharmacology is my personal favorite drug information resource to search. I have worked for five years at Walgreens pharmacy, and Clinical Pharmacology is one the products that most pharmacists rely on. When I started counseling, I would access the patient counseling guide about the drugs and, it definitely would guide me a lot to make sure I was giving all the necessary information to the patient. Clinical Pharmacology provides up-to-date, peer-reviewed, clinically-relevant information on all U.S. prescription drugs, as well as off-label uses and dosage, herbal supplements, nutritional and over-the-counter products and new and investigational drugs. Some of the features that the website includes are: monographs overviews, search capabilities, drug comparison, drug interaction, adverse reaction, IV compatibility, enhanced product comparison utility, searchable product information, and the wonderful product identifier. The new updated website is very easy to read and to navigate. For more information on Clinical Pharmacology go to http://www.clinicalpharmacology.com/

My LifeDrive PDA review

Two years ago I bought a PDA, and in deciding what to get I got a LifeDrive Palm. Why? Uhm, well its awesome. It's got lots gigs of memory, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Office Docs, Photos, Music, Videos, and much more. You can purchase the universal wireless keyboard which then lets you handle your palm like a mini computer. Now that I started to used it, it has become part of my daily routine. I have two kids and staying organize with work and school can be a hassle sometimes. Now instead of having two or three paper calendars I just have one, in my palm, which lets me manage all of my activities. I recently added two drug information programs and I didn't even have to think about having to purchase extra memory. Overall the LifeDrive its easy to use, it keeps me organize and lets me access my drug information programs where ever I am.