Step 2 - Put some information about the pill in your preferred pill identification tool. You can input the pill imprints, shape or even the color of the pill.
Step 3 - Search or browse about the pill characteristics you've entered. A page will pop-up showing images of different pills as well as identification about the name of the drug, the manufacturer and even the contents of the pill. Pill packaging may even pop up.
Step 4 - Input the name of the drug on the pill identifier if you want the image based from the name of the drug instead of the pill features.
Step 5 - If this doesn't work and you still can't identify the pill, you can also ask your doctor or pharmacist for help. Your physician may also have a Physician's Desk Reference. It is a standard pill-identification medical text. You can also find this in the library or you can buy one from a bookstore.
Aside from asking a professional and using a pill identifier tool, another way to identify pills, capsules or tablets is to check with the FDA or Food and Drug Administration. Specifically check with the Division of Drug Information. An easier way to do this is to send an email. Here is how you do it:
? send your drug description and other information to DDI. The email address is druginfo@cder.fda.gov . You'll be surprised at how quick they answer emails. They can even help you indentify substances that most routine pill identification systems fail to distinguish. It is also good if you can take a digital picture of your pill and include the picture in your email.
In California, their Department of Justice also has a pill identification tool for both street drugs and OTC/Rx medicines.
Learning to identify pills is a good way to check if the pill given to you by your pharmacist is really the one on the prescription. It is also a good way to distinguish fake medication from the real ones. When you think about it - the mere fact that we can learn to distinguish pills, capsules and tablets, we can save the lives or our loved ones and even our own.