Product Description
A medical expert reveals risks of the most commonly prescribed drugs-and why the drug industry doesn't want consumers to know about them.

Recent scandals involving diabetes drugs, Vioxx, and many other medications reveal the serious and undisclosed risks of some of the most commonly used prescription drugs in this country. In Before You Take That Pill, Dr. J. Douglas Bremner, a researcher and clinician at Emory University whose study on Accutane and depression made headlines, offers an inside look at the pharmaceutical industry, as well as a scientifically backed assessment of the risks of more than three hundred prescribed medications, vitamins, and supplements.

While many drugs are essential to the health of consumers, as Dr. Bremner explains, for many people, the benefits may not outweigh the potential side effects. This book contains warnings that are not on the drug labels. It also exposes tricks of the trade that demonstrate how the profit-making interests of "big pharma" may not always be in line with the safety of the public - from the corruption that exists in the drug approval process to the tactics drug companies use to encourage doctors to prescribe their products. Most important, Before You Take That Pill empowers readers by giving them sound information on specific medications so they can understand and weigh the potential risk themselves. Backed by the latest studies, as well as insight from a doctor who is in the trenches, this book should be on the shelf of every drug consumer.

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.5 based on 7 reviews)

A Must Read by Gayle Alexia (Portland, Oregon)

5 Stars
May 26, 2009
Anyone and everyone taking scripts should read this book.
Very important info for everyone.

Take responsibility for your own health by Christine Bean (Denver, CO)

5 Stars
September 15, 2008
Hi! This book is well written, well researched and VERY informative. Just because a doctor prescribes something to treat your illness doesn't mean it's good for you or that their answer is the only answer to your treatment. In fact, the side effects could be far more harmful. This book needs to be in your home library, so you can research your meds before you have the prescription filled. Better yet, before you visit your doctor. Best, Christine

If you take responsibility for your own health, buy this book. by Kathryn (Lakewood, WA)

5 Stars
June 03, 2008
Must have for the home library. I use mine all the time at work (I am an RN in a VA hospital), but the first drugs I looked up were the ones my mom and dad were taking.
I have seen drug reactions in my practice and effects from mixing too many chemical combinations together.
The facts about how a particular drug interacts with the body is important knowledge to have before deciding to use the drug. The other piece of information is to remember that all institutions have some unscrupulous individuals in positions of authority. This is true whether discussing Government, the Church, the Oil Industry or the Drug Industry.
As mundane as it seems, diet, exercise and positive attitude remain the most inportant factors in remaining healthy and fighting disease.

A thousand thumbs down for this book !!! by J. Aragon

1 Stars
May 26, 2008
This book is nothing but a person's rage against Roche, because they didn't want to cooperate with Dr. Bremner in his doubtful Accutane study, linking it with depression and suicide.

If Roche had cooperated with Dr. Bremner with his requests, I can assure you that this book would have never existed.

I know of several high respected researchers who prefer not to comment on Dr. Bremner's doubtful research (of course I won't type their names).

I wonder why a psychiatrist is against psychotropic medications, when he has written hundreds of studies about these kind of drugs.

Excercise and diet WON'T cure depression for severely depressed people as Dr. Bremner states is this book. It this were true, then pharmaceutical copmanies would be in bankruptcy. The final point is that prescription drugs (whether psychoitropic or not) save lives.

Every prescription drug has side effects, that's what makes them good. If you read tylenol's rare side effects you would see that one of them is death. And just because of this RARE side effect, people woun't refuse to take it if they have a headache.

Also, did you know that you can die from taking a shower. Yes, you can slip with the soap and hit your head and die. And just because of this risk, do you think that people would never take showers? Of course not !!

The same principle applies to prescription drugs.

Four out of five doctors recommend... by Steven Rhodes (Atlanta, GA United States)

5 Stars
April 10, 2008
But which doctors are these? Unfortunately, it turns out in many cases, these four doctors also happen to be on said product's payroll. Even when conflict of interest is not quite so clear cut, specific and serious problems exist in the way drugs reach the U.S. public. Doug Bremner provides a frightening indictment of a broken system.

Chapter one provides a quick overview of the scope of the problem, placing it in an historic perspective. It describes how we have arrived at the current drug approval methods and the troublesomely cozy relationship between corporations and regulators. It briefly discusses the impact of profit driven drug development, and aggressive marketing. Although first chapter has no end-notes (following chapters do), it does reference a number of books and of investigative journalism articles.

Wonderfully written in clear non-technical language and organized by diagnosed condition, the remaining invaluable chapters provide detailed examples of the results of this broken system. In his introduction, Dr. Bremner states that this book is not a reference. In that it is not an exhaustive listing of all current drugs and their side effects that is true. However: being so cleanly organized well indexed, and providing many specifically justified recommendations, Before You Take that Pill should be an important home reference for U.S. health care consumers.

A final critical note: it is both stated by the author and clear throughout that the book is not intended as anti-pharmaceutical. It is rather, to provide consumers with the information needed to make more fully informed decisions as to the risks and benefits of certain treatment options.

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