What differences usually exist between a drug monograph and patient information?
Patient information is published by as a service by the drug maufacturers and is usually done for prescription-based medications. A monograph is published for every drug, whether sold by prescription or over the counter. If a prescription drug includes patient information, it is printed by the pharmacy when the prescription is filled and attached to the prescription receipts. Patient information normally is not included with over the counter drugs, but in some cases may be included in the packaging. The patient information provides information about how to take the medication, what side effects to watch out for, when to contact your physician, what to do if there is an overdose, and any activities or foods to avoid while on the medication. The patient information tends to cover the specifics of the drug’s monograph in a language that is easily understood by the patient. The average patient may not understand the more detailed content of the full monograph. While the patient information
