Whenever you find a pill and you don't know what it is or whose it is, your reaction may vary from mild curiosity to sudden anxiety. It can be especially bad if you have children or teenagers in your household, because they can accidentally poison themselves. However, finding a white pill and noticing that it has M380 as an imprint gives you a lot of information. There is not anything particularly significant about this imprint, as knowing the imprint of any pill can help you identify it. Although there isn't any universal system for encoding pills, no two pills are alike. Therefore, if you have all of the information and know how to use it, you can identify almost any pill made by a United States company.
Step 1
Take the pill to your pharmacist or local physician. Whenever you find a pill and you don't know what it is, your first step should be to ask a pharmacist or physician. If possible, take the pill with you. If you can't, a picture of it will also work, particularly if you can give some sense of the size (possibly by photographing it next to a ruler). You can also give them a detailed description, such as its color, size, shape, and whether there are any other markings on it besides M380. These professionals will be able to try and identify your pill, as well as to educate you about its use.
Step 2
Look up M380 in the 'Physicians' Desk Reference (PDR)", or in "Ident-A-Drug Reference: For Tablet and Capsule Identification." These books can be found at your local public library, as well as at some university or hospital libraries. Although they may be a little more difficult to navigate than some of the resources available online, they come from a publishing sources that are more likely to be accurate. In addition, many health-care professionals use these books, which also makes them more reliable.
Step 3
Note every identifying feature of the pill. The fact that you already have the color and an imprint narrows the field quite a bit. You should also note its shape, size (preferably in millimeters) and whether or not it has any other designs etched into it, or other imprints. This information can be useful if you need to use an online drug identifier. If possible, take the pill with you to the computer; otherwise write down the information.
Step 4
Enter the pill's information into an online drug database. The National Institutes of Health has a free pill identifier that it sponsors, though it is still under development. Another good online resource is the Drugs.com pill identifier. Both websites allow you to search for your pill, based on size, shape, color, imprints and other markings. Enter whatever information you have noted into either of these tools, in order to see images of drugs with the same characteristics.
References
- National Library of Medicine: Pill Identification FAQ
- "Physicians' Desk Reference (PDR)", 2010
- "Ident-a-Drug: For Tablet and Capsule Identification", 2008
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