Clinical Pharmacology made Incredibly Easy! has come to my rescue. It is written clearly, concisely, and in terms that are understandable. While the tone is kept light, it is packed with information that makes it a superlative reference book.

There are several characters and mechanisms employed to both organize the material and highlight important information.

• Each chapter begins with Just the facts to give readers an overview of what will be covered in the chapter.
• At the end of each chapter is a quick quiz that helps evaluate how well you've assimilated the information.
• Nurse Joy appears in the margins to emphasize important points in the text.
  • Example: "A drug with a long half-life can take days to reach therapeutic blood levels."
• Interesting information about how drugs originated, possible drugs of the future, and more appear in Pharm Facts sections.
  • Example: "Putting a new stress on sertraline. The Food and Drug Administration recently approved sertraline hydrochloride (Zoloft) as the first drug for treating posttraumatic stress disorder..."
• Now I get it! sections are well used to explain more complicated issues and concepts, often with excellent illustrations and charts.
  • Example: Section explaining and graphically demonstrating the dose-response curve.
• When a drug being discussed is likely to have particular effects on certain organs/systems or the organs/systems affect the drug's actions, characters such as Mr. Heart, Mr. Neuron, and Mr. Liver appear in the margins with pertinent notes.
  • Example, Mr. Liver: "If I'm not working right, a drug doesn't get metabolized normally."
  • Example, Mr. Neuron: "Adrenergic blocking agents block stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system."
  • Example, Mr. Heart: "Stimulate beta receptors, and I'm likely to speed up."
• Memory joggers are very effectively used to stress important points.
  • Example: "When a drug is said to be potentiated by another drug, the results are more potent — the drug goes beyond its original potential."
• Uh Oh Warning boxes ...........
  • Example: Adverse reactions to cholinergic agonists.
• In areas where information is discussed about which there may be disagreement within the medical community, Clinical controversy boxes provide pertinent information.
  • Example: Are beta-adrenergic blockers underused in the elderly?

If you're looking for a rescue from the confusion of what Drug X does, how, and why, Clinical Pharmacology mad Incredibly Easy would make a wonderful addition to your library. Light in tone, yet never lacking in content, its style lends itself well to those of us who want to know more.