reference

I used this as a textbook for an udergraduate pharmacology class. While it is a very comperhensive book, and covers probably all you'd ever want to know and then some, about many drugs, it might just provide too much information for an introductory pharmacology class. Its not as if its hard to understand-I felt that the writing was clear enough, its just that there is so much information, its hard to pick out the important bits. I remember that in our class, we'd have random quizes where we'd get lists of about twelve drugs and we'd have to summarize their actions. Now if you used Goodman and Gilman and you made flashcards, you'd probably have way more information than what the professor expected on the quiz, and then if you did happen to remember some random facts that were mentioned in G&G you might not get credit becasue the facts were so obscure even the professor didn't remember them. I'd have preferred a textbook that outlined very briefly the system that the drugs were affecting, a concise picture of how they act, and then maybe one or two examples. This book just takes it too far. There are like twenty drugs explained in excrusiating detail in each section that you forget what the class of drugs as a whole is supposed to do. Take home message: a great reference book, but its just too dense to be used as a text book. I still use it though, from time to time, when I am checking out info on drugs my family, friends, or I am planning to take.

"Goodman & Gilman" has been the staple of pharmacology for many years, and with good reason. While I agree with the other reviewers that it is the gold standard, in the "old days" the book was updated about every 5 years, and this one came out in 1996. Given that the book probably took a couple of years to revise, the information is close to 10 years out of date! As is stated in the Notice on p. xviii, "Medicine is an ever-changing science." I have been waiting for the 10th Edition for some time now...!

The most comprehensive pharmacology book to have as a healthcare professional or student