If you've ever found a loose pill without its original bottle, you know the problem: how do you figure out what it is without guessing?
Start with the imprint
Almost every prescription and most over-the-counter tablets and capsules carry an imprint - letters, numbers, or both - stamped or printed on by the manufacturer. This code, combined with the pill's shape and colour, is usually enough to identify it. The imprint is the single most reliable clue, since shape and colour alone can be shared by dozens of unrelated medications.
Shape and colour narrow it down
Once you have the imprint, shape and colour help confirm the match and rule out look-alikes. Manufacturers aren't required to use consistent colours for a given drug, so two bottles of the same medication from different manufacturers can look completely different.
When you can't find a match
If a pill has no imprint at all, it may be a foreign medication, a supplement, or a compounded prescription - none of which are reliably searchable by appearance. In that case, the safest path is to ask a pharmacist directly rather than guess.
Always confirm before taking anything
Identifying a pill by appearance is a starting point, not a final answer. If you or someone else needs to take an unidentified pill, or you suspect accidental ingestion, contact a pharmacist or poison control immediately rather than relying on a website match alone.