How Drugs Work: Basic Pharmacology for Healthcare Professionals

Quality prescribing is an applied science, matching the pharmacology to the diagnosis. Powerful modern drugs require scientific understanding if their benefits are to be realised and their many risks minimised. This book equips readers with a set of clear concepts and, unlike typical long textbooks on the subject, condenses only those aspects of pharmacology of direct relevance to everyday practice into a concise, accessible volume. This second edition has been completely updated and also contains new chapters on drugs and the central nervous system, and the use of recreational drugs. How Drugs Work, Second Edition satisfies the need for an appropriate understanding of pharmacology by those who have prescribing responsibilities such as nurse prescribers, general practitioners, pharmacists and dentists in mid-career who may wish to update their knowledge, nurses who require an understanding of drug actions and interactions, and pharmaceutical industry representatives. Medical students, too, will benefit from this book as an introduction.