This complete guide provides all the information you need on prescribed and over-the-counter medication. This fully revised edition tells you how medicines work, what they treat, their benefits, and their potential risks and side effects. Clear and easy-to-use, this book explains what the major drug groups and drugs are and what they are used for, whether they are painkillers or anticancer drugs. It explains dosage and side-effects, and possible interactions with other medicines. Although this reference is invaluable to healthcare professionals, its concise and jargon-free text will benefit anybody taking medication or wanting to know more about the drugs used in common medical practice.