A Primer of Drug Action: A Concise, Nontechnical Guide to the Actions, Uses, and Side Effects of Psychoactive Drugs

By Robert M. Julien and Claire D. Advokat

Book Overview

The 1997 edition which surveys the psychoactive drugs currently available and looks at their effects on the brain and behaviour. Aimed at students of pharmacology, neuropsychopharmacology and psychology.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0716731126
• ISBN13: 9780716731122
• Release Date: January 1997
• Publisher: W H Freeman & Co
• Length: 548 Pages
• Weight: 1.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.5" x 1.3" x 6.3"

Customer Reviews

Great for undergraduates like myself!

"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.

Fantastic and Balanced

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.

Very honest

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

Loan this book to colleagues . . . never see it again

First, I divulge a long-time professional relationship with the author. In the years when I served as Director of Training in a large community mental health center, I contracted with Dr. Julien to provide In-service training to our staff of over 350.His sessions always filled our training room and received positive evaluations from both persons with medical training and our case manager/counselors. I focus my review on two portions of the book's sub-title. 1)Non-technical and 2) Revised and Updated.Robert Julien writes as he speaks. He demystifies the vast information in this field and clarifies it. However, for the reader who wants in-depth information about the topics, there are treasures to be found. Your "aha !" and "ohhhh" buttons will be pushed constantly.I appreciate the conscientious way Dr. Julien and his publisher have kept the book "revised and updated." There are so many research findings being reported all the time. New medications come on line. This makes many excellent (and expensive) books obsolete within a couple of years. "A Primer of Drug Action" remains current and useful. But seriously, they sometimes are slow in being returned. I buy them two at a time.

Excellent book

I became aware of this book because it was used as the textbook for a recent upper level biopsychology seminar. It was one of the best books I have ever had to use for a class, and I believe is an extremely valuable reference for anyone with interest in the way drugs affect the brain. The writing is clear, concise, informative, interesting, and complete. Each chapter gives an overview of the family of drugs and then goes into detail on a few of the most common examples. Everything from delivery to half-life to molecular action to side effects is covered. Many of my friends went out and bought the book after looking at my copy to learn about either their recreational habits or prescription drugs. A background in biology would be useful for understanding all of the information, but there are also appendices which explain the basics.