Synopsis
Including Last Words and Dedication read by the author, Dr Nick Barber
How do you know if the medicine you’re taking is right for you?
Should you worry about side effects, and, if so, how much?
And how can you advocate for a loved one when it comes to being prescribed medication?
In How to Take Drugs, world-renowned pharmaceutical expert Dr Nick Barber answers these questions and more, explaining how medicines actually work on your body, how they’re tested, and why they are often so much less effective than you might think.
Dr. Barber’s clear ‘Avoid, Kiss, Marry, Divorce’ framework offers a practical guide for evaluating how your medication is working, and offers solutions – whether you’re taking medicines now, facing a new diagnosis, or supporting others with their healthcare. This resolutely human-first approach goes on to explore why dosing instructions are so erratically followed, the placebo and nocebo effects and even how pharmaceuticals affect the planet.
How to Take Drugs is not only a practical guide to making the most of your medication, but also a visionary look ahead at a future of good prescribing, and a detailed plan of how to get there. In a world full of contradictory medical information and concerns around overprescription, it is an essential, eye-opening listen.
Details
28 May 2026
9781035072163Reviews
This book will change lives. It has changed mine.
A lively and empowering read, full of deftly explained science, good humour and humanity.
An important, timely and above all a very enjoyable book. . . Nick does what few writers manage in making complex and technical issues easily understood by the lay person, with a very easy style and a wry sense of humour.
