Off-Label Drugs: What You Need to Know

Off-label prescribing is when a physician gives you a drug that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved to treat a condition different than your condition. This practice is legal and common. In fact, one in five prescriptions written today are for off-label use.

Learn about the safety and effectiveness of this practice through these additional resources:

• Little difference in effectiveness of drugs to prevent episodic migraine in adults
• Effective Health Care: Efficacy and Comparative Effectiveness of Off-Label Use of Atypical Antipsychotics
• Questions are the Answer: Get More Involved With Your Health Care
• Maryland Guides Prescribers on Use of Atypical Antipsychotic Medications
• Understanding Investigational Drugs and Off Label Use of Approved Drugs
• Off-Label Drug Use in Cancer Treatment
• Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs: Off-label prescription drugs