OTC & Prescription Medicaments

A medicament cannot "cure." The medicament aids the body's natural defenses to promote recovery. Likewise, a manufacturer or doctor cannot guarantee a medicament will be useful for everyone. The complexity of the human body, individual responses in different people and in the same person under different circumstances, past and present health, age and gender influence how well a medicament works.

All effective medicaments produce desirable changes in the body, but a medicament can also cause undesirable adverse reactions or side effects in some people. Despite uncertainties, the medicament discoveries of recent years have given us tools to save lives and reduce discomfort.

The purpose of this site is to give you enough information about the most widely used medicaments so you can make a wise decision. Before you take any medicament - prescription, over-the-counter (nonprescription medicament), or herbal or homeopathic you should be as knowledgeable as possible - your life may depend upon it. This site is not a substitute for medical advice from a professional. Its aim is to help you gather information about medications so that you can ask the right questions of your physician and pharmacist about an (Rx) medicament, or consider the pros and cons of an (OTC) or (H) medication urged upon you by an advertisement, well-meaning friend, or clerk. As you refer to the information contained in this site, you should become more aware of the potential benefits and side effects of all chemicals you ingest, inhale, inject, or place on your body.

The information is derived from authoritative sources. Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy and completeness. Where information from different sources conflicts, the majority's opinion is used, coupled with the clinical judgment of the technical consultants. Medicament information changes with continuing observations by clinicians and users.

Each year, new medicament charts are added and existing charts are updated when appropriate. However, because medicament information is constantly changing, you should always talk to your doctor or pharmacist if you have any questions or concerns.

Medicament basics

Prescription medicament - Safety

Over-the-counter (OTC) medicament - Safety

Generic medicament

How the medicament does its job

Making choice

Medicament allergies

Vaccination and immunization

Antibiotics / Use and abuse / Bacterial Resistance

Steroids

Glossary

Major medicament groups

Allergy
Brain and Nervous System
Eyes and Ears
Gastrointestinal Tract
Heart and Circulation
Hormones and Endocrine System
Infections and Infestations
Malignant and Immune Disease
Muscles, and Joints
Reproductive and Urinary Tracts
Respiratory System
Skin

Medicaments in alphabetical order