The National Library of Medicine (NLM) responds to more than 100,000 questions each year.  Regularly asked questions become Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). NLM Reference and Consumer Health FAQs are at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/services/faqref.html . Our FAQs are reviewed and updated frequently. Our FAQs link to resources at NLM, national and international government agencies, and non-profit organizations. Five of our FAQs are about drug information.

FAQ: Discounted/Free Medical and Dental Care and Medicines – US and International, can help patients and their caregivers find affordable health care.  The information covers medical and dental visits, eye care, and prescriptions. There is also information for military veterans and their dependents. NLM resources include MedlinePlus® Go Local. Go Local provides lists of services and providers in local areas throughout the US. The FAQ is at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/services/freemedcare_int.html .

Our most read FAQ is Pill Identification, at https://pillbox.nlm.nih.gov/index.html. It points to sources that show pictures of brand name and generic medicines.  One of these sources is the NLM DailyMed® Product Identification System, available through DailyMed, a partnership between the NLM and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). For information about what a medicine does, its side effects, and interactions, go to FAQ: US Drug Information, at https://druginfo.nlm.nih.gov/drugportal/ and FAQ: Drug Formulations and Interactions, at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/services/drug_interact.html .

Links to international agencies that regulate medicines are available in FAQ: International Drug Information, at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/services/drug_intl.html . It also links to international names for drugs prescribed in the US and to non-US drugs.  Our FAQ for vitamins and alternative medicines is at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/services/dietsup.html.  FAQ: Dietary Supplements, Complementary or Alternative Medicines includes information about side effects and interactions with prescription and non-prescription drugs.  NLM resources include the NLM Dietary Supplements Labels Database and a PubMed search subset on complementary and alternative medicine (CAM).

Send your comments about these resources to custerv@nlm.nih.gov or use our contact form at http://apps.nlm.nih.gov/mainweb/siebel/nlm/index.cfm .

Cynthia Burke, MLS, AHIP

Reference Librarian

National Library of Medicine

URL:  http://www.nlm.nih.gov

The National Library of Medicine is part of the National Institutes of Health,

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services