Primer of Drug Action (Primer of Drug Action: A Concise, Nontechnical Guide to the Actions, Uses, & Side Effects of)

This book is easy to understand for most people with a college education. Even those who have not had previous experience with the subject matter and vocabulary can catch up by reading methodically.

What I like best about this book is its balanced approach to its subject matter: drugs. Sometimes books on drugs can be very biased, but this one tells it like it is, more or less.

My copy of the ninth edition is falling apart because I have used it for reference so much. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in busting myths about drugs.

"A Primer of Drug Action" is quite amazing and reads very easily! What I find so fascinating is how up-to-date the info is. To give an example, in the analgesic section about NSAIDs, the author tells of the new skin patch for diclofenac that came out this year (2008). The eleventh edition began being printed in 2008! Also I enjoy the fact that much of the information provided has references stated at the end of the sentences. The information about the drugs is very clear and not too oversimplified. I recommend this for anyone who enjoys pharmacology and especially for those who lack upper-level life science knowledge.

I was very pleased with the fast service and delivery. I need this book for school and didn't have to wait for it so it didn't hold up my work.

The 10th Edition of Robert M. Julien's Primer of Drug Action is excellent both as a reference and as a primary text on psychoactive drugs.

The book is designed for readers with a passing knowledge of synaptic transmission and basic neuroanatomy. As such, his explanations of these foundation topics are lacking, but a text like Neuroscience: Exploring the Brain or a similar introductory text would give a clearer, more drawn out explanation for the beginning student.

Using the book as a reference guide is simple because the index is detailed and simple to navigate. Quickly finding the chemical structure or learning about some of the side effects of one of any number of drugs shouldn't be a problem. While this book is likely outside the realm of helpful for the casual browser, it is still a useful guide, particularly to, say, a student with a chemistry background.

I cannot stress how excellent this text is as a primary source. It is an easy read; Julien's writing is incredibly clear. He writes with an almost tongue-in-cheek kind of humor that make the writing come to life much more than the majority of science books.

The book can be read out of order without any losses to the information contained therein because each chapter is capable of standing alone. The diagrams are large and clearly labeled and explained. The glossary could benefit from work, as it is brief, but I've found Julien's writing to be clear enough to keep me from using it particularly often.

In the end, Julien knows what he's talking about and over the course of ten editions of this book, has crafted a tight resource for any chemist, neuroscientist or curious soul who wants to know more about psychoactive drugs and the brain.

The seller was very honest about the condition of the book and shipped promptly.