Research Guides: Consumer Health &amp; Patient Education: Drugs & Supplements

Drug & Supplement Information

Here are some commonly used links for information on prescription drugs, herbs, & supplements. Be sure to check sources for credibility and trustworthiness.

MedlinePlus: Drugs, Herbs and Supplements
Search for prescription and over-the-counter drugs, as well as vitamins and herbal products. Easy to understand and regularly updated.
Mayo Clinic: Drugs & Supplements
Search for information on prescription and over-the-counter drugs
Merck Manual: Drug Information
The Manuals have partnered with Elsevier to provide high-quality drug information from the Gold Standard Drug Database.
SafeMedication
Developed by ASHP, a national organization of pharmacists, SafeMedication.com is a source of information about prescription and over-the-counter medications for patients.
DailyMed
Official source for FDA-approved drug labels, including dosage, warnings, and ingredients.
NIH Office of Dietary Supplements
Fact sheets on vitamins, minerals, and other supplements.

Drugs & Supplements Sources at the Mt. SAC Library

Books on Prescription Drugs

The Gale Encyclopedia of Prescription Drugs by Kristin Fust (Editor)
Call Number: Online

Publication Date: 2015

Gale Encyclopedia Of Prescription Drugs, a two-volume set of 300 entries, is a comprehensive consumer resource on the most commonly prescribed drugs describing potential side effects, drug and food interactions, recommended dosages, and warnings/precautions.
Davis's Drug Guide for Nurses by April Hazard Vallerand; Cynthia A. Sanoski
Call Number: Online

Publication Date: 2025

Davis's Drug Guide for Nurses is a comprehensive resource providing detailed information on medications used in healthcare. It includes guidelines on improving practices and patient safety, managing medication errors, and detecting adverse drug reactions.

Books on Supplements & Natural Products

Prescription for Nutritional Healing, Sixth Edition by Phyllis A. Balch
Call Number: REF 615.854 B189p 2023

Publication Date: 2023

This fully revised sixth edition includes the time-honoured proven strategies, as well as many new and innovative science-based ideas to arm you with the best natural therapies for your health. Prescription for Nutritional Healing, Sixth Edition is the source for accessible, evidence-based information that serves as a guide for using natural, nutritional remedies to help achieve and maintain wellness.
Dietary Supplements by B. Brian Haycock; Amy A. Sunderman (Editors)
Call Number: Online

Publication Date: 2016

This book provides an overview of dietary supplements including their definition, how they are manufactured and regulated, what forms they are sold in, and what the most popular products are. An effort is made to provide relevant information on the background, mechanism of action, and the clinical evidence demonstrating their efficacy or lack thereof. This book is important given the popularity of dietary supplements and the controversies around their sale and use. This book is an attempt to contribute an objective perspective on the matter.

Find Sources on Drugs & Supplements in the Library

Using OneSearch to Find Resources on Drugs & Supplements

Looking for resources at Mt. SAC Library? Use OneSearch to find books, articles and media that we have here in the library and online. Most of our physical books are located on the main floor of the Mt. SAC library.

FAQs

💊 Keywords for Drug Information

Use these terms to search the library catalog or databases for books and articles on medications:

Prescription drugs
Over-the-counter drugs
Drug interactions
Drug side effects
Medication safety
Pharmacology
Drug reference guides
FDA-approved drugs

🌿 Keywords for Supplements & Natural Products

These terms will help you find information on vitamins, herbs, and other dietary supplements:

Dietary supplements
Herbal medicine
Medicinal plants
Vitamins and minerals
Natural remedies
Nutraceuticals
Botanical supplements
Alternative therapies
Complementary medicine
Herbal supplements
Traditional medicine

Call Numbers to Browse for Physical Books:

615 — Pharmacology and therapeutics
615.1 — Drug guides and medication handbooks
615.5 — Herbal and botanical medicine
615.53 — Dietary supplements