Drug Identification

If you have unknown pills in your cabinet, or if you have found capsules in your child’s room, drug identification is key in order to let you know exactly what it is you have. As misidentifying drugs can have dire consequences, making sure you know what drugs it is you possess is vital. In the case of the capsules in your child’s room, it can tell you whether or not your children have begun to explore illegal drugs.

Not all drugs are illegal. With so many forms of Tylenol, aspirins, and similar painkillers, drug identification is needed to prevent disciplining a child that may not have done anything wrong. Taking the few minutes to find out what type of pills you have stumbled upon is vital!

There are several things that you should look for when identifying a drug. Drug identification is a careful science, requiring a good eye for size, shapes, colors and textures. All of these things need to be researched in order to make a correct identification.

Size and shape are key details in drug identification. Drugs that are professionally manufactured come in standard sizes and shapes depending on what the drug is. These are the first thing that you notice when you find a stray pill. If you are not good at guessing the size of a pill, find a ruler that measures millimeters, centimeters and inches and measure the width, height and length of the pill. These numbers can be used to identify them.

Next, the color of the pills can be used to help identify what they are. As an example, Viagra comes in a very noticeable blue color, which sets it apart from the brown color of standard Advil. Once you have identified the size and shape of your pill, the color will further hone what the pill actually is.

Texture is something that can be noted at a glance, or by carefully touching the pill with your fingertip. While texture is not as vital as the color, size and shape of the pills, they may give the final clue to have a positive drug identification.

If you are fortunate, there will be an imprint on the pill. This is done by major manufacturers to promote proper identification of pills in case they are mixed with other drugs with similar size, shapes and colors.

Many illegal drugs do not follow set size, shapes and colors. If you find a suspicious drug that you cannot identify, you may need to take it to a pharmacist or lab for identification. If you suspect that the pill is an illegal drug, you should contact authorities immediately.