Medicines
Items marked with an * are recommended starting points.
- The Australian Medicines Handbook *
- eTG Complete (Therapeutic Guidelines) *
- The Cochrane Library *
- The National Prescribing Service (NPS)
- BMJ Clinical Evidence
- Natural Standard (natural medicines to drug interactions)
Also see the resources under ‘Evidence Based Practice’ on the LEFT HAND MENU
- Martindale
- Hunter Drug Information Service
- Medline or Embase searches
- Natural Standard (natural medicines to drug interactions)
- NSW Medicines Information Centre
For detailed advice on a specific patient it is highly recommended that you contact a specialised information service e.g. Mothersafe (02) 9382 6539 if calling from Sydney or 1800 647 848 if calling from country NSW.
- Drugs in Pregnancy and Lactation (Briggs)* A summarization of the world literature as it relates to drugs in pregnancy and lactation
- The Australian Medicines Handbook * Australian Medicines Handbook – most monographs contain brief information on pregnancy risk categories and breastfeeding risks.
- TOXNET (Lactmed Database – for information on drug use during breastfeeding)
- Micromedex – Reprotox, Reprotext, Shepard’s, Teris Reproductive Risk (Pregnancy & Lactation)
- BMJ Best Practice
- Textbooks containing some information on drug effects in pregnancy:
- Obstetrics: Normal and Problem Pregnancies see chapter 8 - Drugs and Environmental Agents in Pregnancy and Lactation: Embryology, Teratology, Epidemiology
- Williams Obstetrics see chapter 14 - Teratology and Medications that Affect the Fetus
General information on drugs plus nursing considerations
- TOXINZ
- Poisons Information - Toxicology advice to health professionals on the management of poisoned patients (adults and children)
Check general drug resources.
To automatically check for interactions in a list of medications:
- DrugReax (via Micromedex) *
- MIMs Drug Alert *
- Natural Standard (natural medicines to drug interactions)
For more comprehensive advice contact your local hospital pharmacy department, the NSW Medicines Information Centre or the Hunter Drug Information Service
For more information contact your local hospital pharmacy department or the NSW Medicines Information Centre
- Australian Resuscitation Guidelines
- eviQ (Cancer Treatments Online) *
- Flippin' Blood - a clinical resource for use with administration of all blood products, developed by Australian Red Cross Blood Service and the Department of Health South Aust Blood Safe program.
- NHMRC Clinical Guidelines Portal
- Paediatric Clinical Practice Guidelines
- Paracetamol Overdose Management Guidelines
- Rural Emergency Guidelines - Adult, Paediatric
- Snake and Spider Bite Guidelines
- eTG Complete (Therapeutic Guidelines) *
- The Australian Immunisation Handbook
- Snake and Spider Bite Guidelines
- Australian Resuscitation Council Guidelines
- Paediatric Pharmacopoeia
- Paediatrics Manual
Some websites have information on drugs (see the links under Specialty Sites tab)
- Micromedex *
- Martindale
- American Hospital Formulary Service (AHFS)
- Embase and Medline searches
Your local hospital Pharmacy Department may have information on SAS and trial drugs in use in your hospital, or contact the NSW Medicines Information Centre.
- Your local hospital pharmacy department can assist with information on medicines and may hold specialist texts and journals not available on CIAP.
- The NSW Medicines Information Centre is a free service which provides information on all aspects of medication use. They may be contacted by phone or email or via the links under ‘Other Drug Resources’ or from the left hand menu.
NOTE: Many of the books on CIAP contain useful information on drugs and their use. Use the subject index to locate books on particular specialties e.g. toxicology, cardiology etc
- Australian Adverse Drug reactions Bulletin
- Australian College of Pharmacy - Practice and Management
- Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry
- Hunter Drug Information Service
- National Prescribing Service (NPS)
- NSW Medicines Information Centre
- NSW Therapeutic Assessment Group Inc. (TAG)
- Pharmacy Guild of Australia
- Schedule of Pharmaceutical Benefits
- Society of Hospital Pharmacists of Australia (SHPA)
- Therapeutic Goods Administration (Australian Govt Dept of Health & Ageing)
- US Food & Drug Administration
AMH Aged Care: Click on ‘Medicines Information’ in the left menu the choose ‘AMH Aged Care’.
American Hospital Formulary Service (AHFS): Click on ‘Online Books’ then ‘Full CIAP Online Books’ then choose ‘AHFS Drug Information’ from the left menu
- Leading US resource with monographs on drugs
- Completely updated annually
- Detailed information on adverse effects
Basic and Clinical Pharmacology, Katzung: Click on ‘Online Books’ then ‘Full CIAP Online Books’ then ‘B’ then choose ‘Basic and Clinical Pharmacology’
- Pharmacology text aimed at health science students
BMJ Best Practice: Click on ‘Clinical Decision Support Tools’ then choose ‘BMJ Best Practice’
- Clinical decision support tool using Martindale as the basis for drug information
- Available for Internet Enabled Smartphone
BNF Children: Click on ‘Medicines Information’ then choose ‘BNF Children’
- Information on the use of medicines for treating children
Drug Facts and Comparisons, Pocket version: Click on ‘Online Books’ then ‘Full CIAP Online Books’ then ‘D’ then choose ‘Drug Facts and Comparisons, Pocket version’
- Brief information arranged by use
- Comparative information and tables
- Only covers US FDA-approved indications
DrugReax (via Micromedex): Click on ‘Micromedex’ then choose the ‘Drug Interactions’ tab from the top menu
- Displays drug-drug, drug-lab test, drug-food, drug-pregnancy, drug-lactation and drug-alcohol interactions.
- Gives severity and evidence ratings
- May not recognise non-US trade and generic names e.g. enter ‘acetaminophen’ for paracetamol; enter ‘epinephrine’ for adrenaline; enter ‘meperidine’ for pethidine; enter ‘sulfamethizole’ for sulphamethazole etc.
- Click on the drug names for detailed information with references on each interaction
Drugs in Pregnancy and Lactation (Briggs): Click on ‘Online Books’ then ‘Full CIAP Online Books’ then ‘D’ then choose ‘Drugs in Lactation and Pregnancy’.
- Over 1200 drug monographs and is a recommended text for information about drug affects in pregnancy and lactation
eviQ (Cancer Treatments Online): Click on ‘Useful links’ on the top menu, then ‘NSW Cancer Institute’, then ‘eviQ’, then ‘Health Professionals’
- Provides chemotherapy cancer protocols, including the evidence, cost, and drug dose calculation
- Also contains detailed information on cancer treatments and side-effects
Goodman and Gilman’s Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics: Click on ‘Online Books’ then ‘Full CIAP Online Books’ then ‘G’ then choose ‘Goodman & Gilman's The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics
- Major pharmacology reference text
Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine: Click on ‘Online Books’ then ‘Harrisons Online’
- Major medical text which contains information on drug treatments
Hunter Drug Information Service
- Provide drug information for patient related enquiries within the Hunter New England Area Health Service, including advice regarding adverse drug reactions, drug interactions, drugs in pregnancy/lactation, formulation, availability, product information, herbal medicines.
- www.hnehealth.nsw.gov.au/hdis
IV Index (via Micromedex): Click on ‘Micromedex’ then choose the ‘IV Compatibility’ tab from the top menu
- Compatibility information for single drugs or drug combinations (searchable)
- May not include or recognise Australian drug names
Martindale: Click on ‘Micromedex’, enter drug name into the search box and select ‘Martindale’ from the list of options or click on ‘Clinical Decision Support Tools’, choose ‘BMJ Best Practice’ and then click on ‘Drug Information’ at the top of the page
- Leading UK resource with monographs on drugs
- Includes information on products marketed in UK and the EEU
Micromedex: Click on ‘Micromedex’ from the left hand menu
- Contains in-depth information on drugs (DrugDex monographs)
- Covers adverse effects, dose, comparative information, pharmacokinetics, dosage and information on specific uses etc
- Poisindex is a toxicology (poisoning) database within Micromedex
- Available for internet enabled Smartphone download
MIMs Online: Click on ‘MIMs’ from the left hand menu
- Approved Product Information for all marketed drugs in Australia
- MIMs Drug Alert is a drug interaction program
- Available for Internet Enabled Smartphone, iPad/iPhone download
Mosby’s Index: Click on ‘Nursing & Allied Health’ then choose ‘Mosby’s Index’
- A nursing and allied health database
Mothersafe
- MotherSafe is a free telephone service for the women of NSW based at the Royal Hospital for Women, Randwick.
- www.sesiahs.health.nsw.gov.au/Mothersafe
Natural Standard: Click on ‘Medicines Information’ in the left menu then choose ‘Natural Standard’.
- provides high-quality, evidence-based information about complementary and alternative medicine including dietary supplements and integrative therapies.
Nursing@Ovid: Click on ‘Nursing & Allied Health’ then choose ‘Nursing@Ovid’
- A comprehensive, integrated nursing and allied health portal. Includes AMED, BNI and Ovid Nursing Database as well as Ovid Universal Search.
Obstetrics: Normal and Problem Pregnancies - Click on ‘Online Books’ then ‘Full CIAP Online Books’ then ‘O’ then choose ‘Obstetrics: Normal and Problem Pregnancies’
- Textbook of Obstetrics
Paediatrics Manual: Click on ‘Online Books’ then ‘Paediatrics Manual’
- This handbook covers essential, practical information, such as laboratory reference ranges and drug doses for serious conditions, as well as common clinical situations.
PEMSoft: Click on ‘Clinical Decision Support Tools’ then choose ‘PEMSoft’
- Clinical Decision Support tool for Paediatrics
Poisons Information
- the management of poisoning and drug overdose (pharmaceuticals, recreational drugs, chemicals)
- managing chemical exposures (including eye, skin & inhalational exposures)
- plant and mushroom exposures
- paediatric poisoning and toddler exposures
- bites & stings: snake, spider & insect bites
- fish/marine & seafood poisoning
- www.poisonsinfo.nsw.gov.au
ProQuest: Click on ‘Nursing & Allied Health’ then ‘ProQuest’
- A nursing and allied health database including Joanna Briggs Institute content.
The Australian Injectable Drugs Handbook: Click on ‘Medicines Information’, then choose ‘Australian Injectable Drugs Handbook’
- Information on dose, rate, dilution, compatibility and stability of injectable
- Monograph-based
The Australian Medicines Handbook: Click on ‘Medicines Information’, then choose ‘Australian Medicines Handbook’
- Australian evidence and expert opinion-based information
- Contains comparative information and practical advice on drug use
- Available for internet enabled Smartphone download
The National Prescribing Service (NPS): Click on ‘Medicines Information’, then choose ‘National Prescribing Service’
- Independent, Australian evidence-based information on prescribing
- Advice on drug use for specific indications
- NPS RADAR contains assessments of new drugs and indications
The New South Wales Medicines Information Centre (NSW MIC): Click on ‘Medicines Information’, then choose ‘NSW Medicines Information Centre’
- A free information service for NSW health professionals on all aspects of medication use
- Maintains an library of resources on pharmacology & clinical pharmacy
The New South Wales Therapeutic Advisory Group (NSW TAG): Click on ‘Medicines Information’, then choose ‘NSW Therapeutic Advisory Group’
- Peer-reviewed, evidence-based information
- Information on high cost or controversial therapies (see Position Statements)
- Targeted literature reviews (on new or controversial therapies)
The Therapeutic Guidelines series: Click on ‘Medicines Information’, then choose ‘eTG Complete (Therapeutic Guidelines)’
- Australian evidence and expert opinion-based guidelines
- Advice on drug use for specific indications
- Published as separate titles by medical specialty: Analgesic, Antibiotic, Cardiovascular, Dermatology, Developmental Disability, Emergency, Endocrinology, Gastrointestinal, Neurology, Oral and Dental, Palliative Care, Psychotropic, Respiratory, Rheumatology, Toxicology
- Search all the Guidelines or individual titles
TOXINZ: Click on ‘Medicines Information’ then choose ‘TOXINZ’.
- Australian & New Zealand poisons information database.
TOXNET: Click on ‘Medicines Information’ then choose ‘TOXNET’.
- A cluster of databases covering toxicology, hazardous chemicals, environmental health and related areas.
- Includes Lactmed which is a database of drugs and other chemicals to which breastfeeding mothers may be exposed.
Williams Obstetrics: Click on ‘Online Books’ then ‘Full CIAP Online Books’ then ‘W’ then choose ‘Williams Obstetrics’
- A leading reference textbook on Obstetrics
- Each chapter can be downloaded to a handheld device
Download a PDF version of this page (
72 KB) or MS Word Version - 211 KB.
Developed by NSW Medicines Information Centre January 2009 Revised September 2010
