Find out what kind of pill this is

However, it's important that you properly dispose of drugs. Do not just toss it in the trash because another person or an animal may find it and ingest it, causing potentially serious problems. As tempting as it may be, do not flush pills down the toilet, either. Flushing medications can pollute nearby waterways, which you use every day for drinking and bathing. It also has a significant impact on the environment, including fish and wildlife. A better option is to take the pill and any unused medications you no longer need to an authorized U.

It's never a good idea to take any pill that you're not prescribed or that you don't buy directly over-the-counter OTC. It is even less advisable to take a drug when you don't know what it is. It's always best to talk to your healthcare provider or pharmacist before taking any medication.

Various medications, dietary supplements, and alternative remedies can cause serious health problems, even if they're approved for use or OTC. By taking an unknown pill, you are running the risk of drug interactions, complications of medical conditions you have, and counterfeit drugs that are not regulated.

The FDA is a great resource for advice about safely taking medications. Just remember: if you don't know it, don't swallow it. Sign up for our Health Tip of the Day newsletter, and receive daily tips that will help you live your healthiest life.

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Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Sign Up. What are your concerns? Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Updated April 1, U. Related Articles. How to Crush Pills Safely and Correctly. How to Start Birth Control Pills. Hard Time Swallowing Pills? Here's Help! Best Online Pharmacies of The FDA can help you identify unknown pills.

Email the FDA at druginfo cder. They may ask you for more information if the drug cannot be identified based on your initial email. Use a pill identifier through a pharmacy's website. Many nationwide pharmacies, such as CVS and Walgreens, have pill identifiers online. Usually, a database will first ask for any markings the pill has. This is where you would enter the inscription if any. If there's not an inscription, you will be asked about factors like color, shape, and size.

You can use this to identify the pill you found. Go to Drugs. Much like a pharmacy website, the Pill Wizard asks you for any imprints as well as the pill's shape and color. After you enter this information and hit "search," a catalog of potential matches will pop up that includes pictures. Call poison control, if necessary. If you've ingested a pill and you're not sure what you've taken, call poison control at They are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

If you experience symptoms like shortness of breath, rapid heartbeat, or any other unusual health concerns after ingesting a pill call Part 3. Never take a pill without confirmation from your pharmacist or doctor. Even if you think you've successfully identified a pill, aways get confirmation from a doctor or pharmacist beforehand to make sure you're safe to take the pill. Even if your identification was correct, the pill may be expired or otherwise tampered with.

Check your medicine cabinets. If you cannot identify a pill using an online database, you can go check your medicine cabinets. Look at the pills you have and see if any of them match the one you found. This is probably the quickest and easiest route to identify a pill if you do not have an internet connection or have no luck identifying the pill online. Visit a pharmacy. If your pills do not match any of the pills in your cabinets, go to a pharmacy.

A pharmacist should be able to identify the pill for you and tell you whether or not the pill is still safe to take or if it should be thrown out. Dispose of the pill properly if you cannot identify it. If you cannot identify the pill, it's best to throw it away.

Depending on where you found it, it could potentially be an illegal medication or one that is harmful to you. Mix the pill in with another substance you're going to throw away, such as cat litter or coffee grounds.

Place the mixture in a sealable container and throw it in the garbage. Find more information on the FDA website here. There are drug disposal services available through most pharmacies.

Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. To prevent any future issues identifying pills, try taking a photo of your pills when you get the prescription filled and labeling the photo with the prescription name. Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0. Do not over-handle the pill once it is found. Over handling may wipe away inscriptions, dissolve the pill shape and be harmful due to skin absorption.

If the pill is not found in a pill identifying database, it could be an illegal medication. Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0. Be cautious about looking at name brand and generic forms of pills. Many pharmacies offer a generic form of medication. Related wikiHows How to. How to. More References 3.

About This Article. Medically reviewed by:. Co-authors: Updated: June 8, Article Summary X To identify pills, compare the pill with others in your medicine cabinet to see if there is a match.

In other languages Deutsch: Pillen identifizieren. Italiano: Riconoscere le Pillole. Nederlands: Pillen identificeren.

Bahasa Indonesia: Mengenali Pil. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 49, times. Did this article help you? Cookies make wikiHow better. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Don Waterbury Jun 7.