                              PharmAssist
                              for Windows

                             by Tony Curro


    Everyone takes pills in one form or another. From prescription
    medication to over the counter medicines. Many times we wonder what,
    if any, side-effects they can have. Can two pills your taking
    counteract each other? PharmAssist is here to help you.

    PharmAssist - The Family Guide to Medicine and Health, is a
    Windows-based program. It requires 5 MB of hard disk space, mouse,
    and minimum of 16-color VGA capable of 640x480.

    When started you are placed in the Pill Illustration window. Here,
    you will see pictures of all the pills in the package. Pressing the
    first letter of a pill name will quickly bring you to the first pill
    starting with that letter. Clicking on a pill illustration will give
    you information about that medication.

    But, PharmAssist goes far beyond this basic information. Some of the
    information you will find is:

    * Class And Use - Tells you what drug class a medication belongs to.
    So if you are allergic to Penicillin, and you are taking
    Amoxicillin, you would see that it is in the Penicillin class. Use
    will tell you what condition a particular drug is used for.

    * Generic Names - Identifies the generic name, or when necessary,
    identifies the class the drug belongs to.

    * Brand Name - Identifies the various brand names that can be found
    under a common generic name.

    * General Information - Tells you whether the selected drug is:
    addictive, requires a prescription, is available generically, etc.

    * Adverse Effects - Can the drug cause: drowsiness, blurred vision,
    etc.? These and many other answers will be found here.

    * Caution/Alert - Will alert the user to specific concerns that may
    be relevant while taking this drug. There is also an area for those
    over 60 years-of-age, and the effects in can have on them.

    Sections also show how the selected medication is prescribed:
    tablet, capsule, liquid, injection, and so forth. There is also a
    body system picture to show what area a specific drug is geared
    toward.

    Four buttons are always available: Rx Drugs, Abused Drugs, First
    Aid, and Travel Vaccine. The first is self-explanatory. Travel
    Vaccine will tell you what vaccinations, if any, you need to travel
    to a certain country. There is also a map showing the country, and
    you can also what possible sicknesses are prevalent in that country.
    First Aid covers everything from what you should have in a first aid
    kit, to treating bites and even creating a splint and much more.

    Abused Drugs, is also self-explanatory, but I want to talk about
    this feature in more detail. This is not only actual illegal drugs
    such as heroin, but things around the house like paint thinner and
    aerosol cans, where the fumes are inhaled. All of this and more is
    included in PharmAssist. In addition there are buttons to show:
    Technical and Street names of drugs; Abuse Hotlines for all 50
    states; Federal Penalties; D.E.A. locations; and a section that
    explains signs of abuse (always hungry, not hungry, change of
    attitude, etc.).

    I can continue about the features of this program, but as you can
    tell, I think this is a great and useful program. There is always
    something you want to know about a medication. Now you can have you
    own personal PharmAssist available 24 hours a day. The best part is
    you do not have to pay for a house call! For diagnosis and treatment
    of any medical condition, you should ALWAYS consult with a physician
    first.


                          Program Information

                              PharmAssist
                              for Windows

                          List Price -- $69.95

                     Software Marketing Corporation
                          9830 South 51st St.
                             Building A-131
                           Phoenix, AZ 85044
                              602-893-3377
                           602-893-2042 (FAX)
