Discovering Brands and Forms

The first task is to discover which brand names and dosage forms remain on the market, and unfortunately there is no single definitive reference. Compare the following resources and decide which most likely still exist. It is also fair to include discontinued brands that still have great name recognition (i.e. Flexeril).

The FDA Orange Book	Search the generic name in the middle of the page (under "Search by Proprietary Name, Active Ingredient or Application Number"), then scroll down until Mkt Status changes from RX to DISCN. Take note of all RX Dosage Forms and Proprietary Names.
Drugs.com	Search each brand names, and note on the right side whether Availability is listed as discontinued. I have discussed with their admin and they use a number of resources to keep this accurate.
MedlinePlus	Search by generic name, and note at the bottom of the medication's page which brands are listed as discontinued.

Package Insert Research

Once you know which brands and dosage forms you'll enter, go to Dailymed, and search for the generic name. These package inserts are currently the nearly exclusive source of our drug information, unless in the future we start drawing in other resources.

• Find a representative of each dosage forms and open/note the page for each.
• Searching the brand names can be helpful in discovering the obscure dosage forms or those that exist only as that brand.
• Avoid labels that have not been updated for several years and those with inactivated NDCs; both of these can be seen at the top of the label.
• When medications have OTC versions, use the prescription labels as they are more complete. Often there are hundreds or thousands of labels with these older medications. Using DailyMed's advanced search for the drug name in 'drug name' and "human prescription drug" in 'all', and then sorting the results for repackaged labels to the bottom helps narrow it down.
• Install Chrome Regex Search and paste in the following tiny search terms (or use the button below) to make your work much more efficient and accurate. Search term also displayed in a larger font for clarity, though I strongly recommend using the regex search or a similar tool.

Entry Guidance

There is an example medication named "model". It's various forms show the preferred phrasing and manner of handling certain recurring challenging issues (i.e. alcohol and CNS depressants). Study published entries as well for other examples and keep our entries consistent.

Pay particular attention to where dosage forms differ. Please complete all dosage forms before moving on from a medication. Ignore pediatrics. Separate numbers from units (i.e. 15 mL). When in doubt, use the full drug and dosage form as the noun for the drug (i.e. amoxicillin oral suspension), unless it makes the sentence read especially badly. If a statement does actually apply to all forms then use just the drug name.

drugname	For combination products do like this: amoxicillin/clavulanate. Order names alphabetically.
state	Drugs visible to public are in state 'publish' or 'test'. Drugs not visible are in state 'updated'. When drugs are added or updated by a collaborator, they are changed to state 'updated'. Once an admin adds or updates any drug, it is changed to 'publish'. Admins may also save drugs, which leaves them as 'updated'.
extant forms	Forms already created. Click as a shortcut to load that form for editing.
synonyms	Usually brand names, sometimes unique dosage forms as described below. Capitalize the first word of brand names. See the discussion above on which brand names to include.
devcomment	This is not shown on the site. A place to leave comments regarding the work on this medication.
form	Everything below here will be saved specific to the dosage form selected.
unique form	If there are duplicate dosage forms with different rules (i.e. bupropion extended release SR and XL, or the many methylphenidate forms), you can name the form you are entering here. The same forms must also be entered in synonyms to be listed for the user. When writing for the user about a unique form, use the format i.e. Gralise brand gabapentin tablets.
frequency	The most common or initial dosing frequencies.
customfreq	When medications have unique scheduling, options can be added here. Complete up to all three lines. Here's the format: if a medication is taken twice daily in the morning with the second dose four hours after the first, you could enter 6;10 on the first line, and 9;14 on the second line.
avoid	Check all medications that must have their administration time separated from the current medication.
uniqueavoid	Medications to separate that do not have a checkbox above. Spelling must be the exact drugname used for their entry. Enter their avoid times below after the checked avoids.
avoidtimes	Each row corresponds to each avoid medication above, in order. i.e. if the current medication must be taken two hours after or six hours before an mvi, you would check mvi above and enter 2 in the first left column and 6 in the first right column. If there is no guidance (i.e. do not take at the same time), 2 hours is often reasonable for most medications, and 4 is reasonable for CNS depressants, alcohol, etc. If the guidance is one-sided (i.e. says only take 4 hours after), enter -1 on the other side. In the rare cases this medication should be taken TOGETHER with the listed med or class, put 0 on both sides.
isa	This is used to indicate that the current medication is a type of medication that others will avoid. i.e. if something 'is a' mvi, things that avoid mvis will avoid it.
indicator	Whichever statement seems most accurate for the medication as a whole.
tldrans	A concise answer with only the time-of-administration food and liquid advice.
patans	Often repeating the tldrans, but often adding additional details, providing an answer giving everything a patient needs to know at the time of administration. For instance, whether to shake the bottle or not. Lay person readable.
provans	Similar to patans, often a copy of it, but often written up for a medical provider with more specific medical language and details.
handling	Any dose preparation that's not right on the bottle/package, and storage. Include modifications for patients who cannot swallow well. Ignore protect from light, keeping dry, tightly sealed, and keeping at room temperature. Do not if a liquid can be kept at room temp after mixing.
timing	Timing requirements around other events, mostly separation from water, supplements, or other medications. Format i.e. if you are taking colestipol, take this medication 2 hours before or 2 hours after gemfibrozil.
absorb	Wonky absorption data provided as a light pharmacokinetic resource.
patguide	URL from the MedlinePlus patient guide page, a link to which can be found on any Dailymed page for the drug. The same link can be used for every dosage form. Example: MedlinePlus
provlab	URL from the package insert page, which can be found near the top of the Dailymed page as button labeled "OFFICIAL LABEL (PRINTER FRIENDLY)". A different package insert will be used for every dosage form, except when multiple forms are combined on one. Use the recently updated package insert that you used for the drug entry, and avoid using brand name package inserts. Example: package insert
provrefs	Is for adding primary literature, rarely used so far. Can handle up to three. Match the row used for the title for the user with the row for the URL.

Drug Entry

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Should this medication be taken with food?