How to Identify Medications by Appearance
Imagine you are cleaning your teenager's room. You find loose pills of an unknown drug in his drawer. You're not sure what to think -- because you have never suspected your child may be taking drugs, and the pills don't have a label. By researching the Internet, you can find out what the pills are by their appearance only, in the absence of a box or bottle.
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Instructions
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Inspect pills that are found without a box or jar. Compare them to any bottled or boxed medications that are held in any cabinet or medicine cabinet in the house.
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Compare the pills found to any medications carried in purses, pockets or backpacks by other family members. Often these would likely be small bottles of pain reliever or cold medication -- but could also be prescription. One of these could be the source of the unknown medication.
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Search the Internet for an answer. Several websites will accurately identify a medication and maker by information you enter for a search. Drugs.com, rxlist.com, pillidentifier.com and pharmer.org have user friendly search engines to find a name for a medication by its appearance only.
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Use the pill identifier tool on each of these websites to discover what the pills are. The pill identifier will ask for specific criteria including color, shape and imprint on the pill. Enter this information into the pill identifier and click on "Search."
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Choose the pill you are holding from the results that will come up on the screen during the search. This will tell you the name of the medication. Double-clicking on the correct pill will take you to detailed information about the medication -- such as what it's for, how to store it and contraindications of the medication. It will also caution you on drug interactions.
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Tips & Warnings
Periodic inventory of all drugs kept in the home is important. Occasionally reading books like the Physician's Desk Reference or books on pill identification can also increase the pill and medication savvy of a parent or anyone who may need to identify an unknown medication.
Do not use the pill identification tools in lieu of requesting help for someone who may have taken medication they shouldn't have. Call 911 and then attempt to identify the medication -- as this can assist the paramedics or first responders in a correct course of treatment.
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- Photo Credit drugs image by alimat from Fotolia.com
