PlainMeds guide, sources read October 8, 2026
How to read a drug label
A U.S. prescription label follows a fixed order set by FDA rules, opening with a “Highlights” summary; an over-the-counter label is a “Drug Facts” panel. PlainMeds quotes 2,165 current labels, one per medicine, section by section.
What is in a prescription label?
The full prescribing information runs in numbered sections: indications and usage, dosage and administration, dosage forms and strengths, contraindications, warnings and precautions, adverse reactions, drug interactions, use in specific populations and so on. A boxed warning, when there is one, sits in a black frame at the top: it is the FDA's strongest label warning. The Highlights box at the start summarizes the label in half a page.
| Section | Labels on PlainMeds with it |
|---|---|
| Boxed warning | 659 |
| Indications and usage | 2,147 |
| Dosage forms and strengths | 1,483 |
| Contraindications | 1,999 |
| Warnings and precautions | 1,463 |
| Adverse reactions | 2,006 |
| Drug interactions | 1,455 |
| Mechanism of action | 1,562 |
| Purpose (OTC Drug Facts) | 138 |
| Do not use (OTC Drug Facts) | 90 |
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA; FDA labeling resources
Where do I find the full label?
Every medicine page links its label on DailyMed, the National Library of Medicine's label library, and quotes its indications, boxed warning and the sentences about other medicines. The label is written for prescribers; the patient leaflet (Medication Guide) is written for patients when the FDA requires one.