Searching

Enter the desired search word or phrase in the window labeled "Search for". Click on the Search button or hit Enter, and the search results will be displayed in the Search Results panel. The Date Stamp reflects when the particular monograph was updated.

Wildcard characters may be used when only part of a word is known. The asterisk (*) matches any sequence of characters, and the question mark (?) matches any single character. When searching for a drug by name, there is no need to include any trailing wildcards.

For example, to find all drugs commencing with the letters "war", enter "war" in the "Search for:" window. The results will be listed by brand and/or generic name.

Note: A wildcard must be used at the beginning of the search text if looking for a drug where the name contains the search text. For example, entering "arin" will only produce a list of drugs that begin with the name "arin"

The Drop-down selection list labeled "Within:" allows you to limit the search to a particular section of the stored documents. The default is a NAME search. Options include:

The Name field limits searching to generic and brand drug names, other names for lab tests, natural products, and synonyms, etc. There is also the option to search for Canadian Brand Names and International Brand Names.

The All Text selection searches for any text that matches your search anywhere throughout the library of databases.

The Charts/Special Topics selection limits your search to the material in the free-text sections of the database (Introduction, Appendices, and Special Topics). These sections include general reference material as well as guidelines, articles, graphs, and tables.

The other choices (Adverse Reactions, Contraindications, Drug Interactions, Methodology, NDC, Therapeutic Category, Use, and Warning/Precautions) are self-explanatory; they limit the search to specific fields, of information in the documents contained in the databases.