Although many pills are completely harmless, you may worry about what your family or roommate is taking, particularly if you are worried about prescription drug abuse. There are so many different pills sold---both over-the-counter and with a prescription---that it may seem impossible to figure out what a specific pill is. Fortunately, you have options beyond wandering around the drug store and looking inside the bottles as there are a number of resources available to you.
Step 1
Show the pill to your doctor or pharmacist. This is the best start for trying to identify a pill. Because doctors and pharmacists are committed to providing patient education and ensuring your safety, they will take all possible steps to ensure that the information they give you is accurate. In addition, if they are able to identify your pill they can tell you more about the medication, including what conditions it can treat as well as safety information.
Step 2
Examine the pill thoroughly and write down every detail that you notice. If your doctor or pharmacist is unable to identify a pill for you, you will need to look your pill up in a database. Because there are so many different kinds of pills available on the market, you will need every possible detail to help identify your pill, particularly if you cannot bring it with you. If possible, use a ruler to measure the dimensions of the pill.
Step 3
Look up your pill using an Ident-A-Drug reference of a Physicians' Desk Reference. These books can be found at your local hospital, university or public library and can help you identify your pill. Physicans' Desk References typically include pictures of the pills to make identification easier.
Step 4
Use an online pill database. There are many different databases online that can be used to identify unknown pills. With these databases you can enter in the size, shape, color, scoring and any imprints that your pill has and see a list of pills with those characteristics. These databases can be very useful but are not perfect, so you should confirm your results with your pharmacist or a medical professional.
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