[WikiEN-l] Rx Dosage Instructions in Wikipedia

[Oldak Quill]

On 19/02/07, MacGyverMagic/Mgm <macgyvermagic at gmail.com> wrote:
> Wikipedia is an encyclopedia. Not everything belongs in here.
> Travel info belongs in Wikitravel.
> Dictionary stuff belongs in Wiktionary and so on.
> The fact it's not a doctor or a pharmacist is just common sense.
> You may think giving the advice is useful, but it isn't unless it comes from
> an expert.
>
> Mgm

First, I've neglected my e-mail for a little while so apologies for
the late post. I just skimmed this thread so further apologies if I'm
repeating what someone else has said.

Giving the effective dose of a drug (in, say, mg/kg) isn't intended to
advise our readers. We are simply describing a pretty basic property
of the drug. The effective dose is important pharmacological
information and is an indicator of the affinity and efficacy of the
drug. It is similar to giving the boiling point in an article about a
natural element. At which dose a drug is effective should be provided
in every article on any drug.

You also said earlier "the whole
point of prescription drugs is that a doctor needs to determine a
dosage." This isn't true. Drugs which have a capacity for abuse, which
are lethal at low doses or which have unpleasant side-effects are
usually prescription. What's more, prescription drugs vary from
country-to-country: in some states a drug will be available
over-the-counter, while in others it will require a prescription. My
point is that being a prescription drug is not a good place to draw
the line when it comes to removing information from articles.

-- 
Oldak Quill (oldakquill at gmail.com)