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How to Identify Prescription Drugs

Wednesday, October 01, 2008
Related Tags: prescription | drugs | counter | doctor | gdula
 

Instructions

  • Step 1:
    Check for a smell. Prescribed drugs have higher dosages of chemicals than over-the-counter products. As a result, they often have an odor to them.
  • Step 2:
    Look for color. The average over-the-counter drug is a white pill. However, this is not true of prescription drugs. They come in all of the colors of the rainbow. So any pills that have bright colors are most likely prescribed from a doctor.
  • Step 3:
    Scan the bottle. Prescription drugs come in clear orange bottles with unique labels on them. You will see that doctor’s and patient’s name on the label which is a dead give away.
  • Step 4:
    Do a taste test. Don’t swallow the whole pill. Just break it up and dab a finger in it. Wait a minute or two. If you have a bitter aftertaste, the pill is not a prescription drug.
  • Step 5:
    Examine the size of the pill. Most over-the-counter drugs come in similar oval or oblong sizes. Anything that is outside of this realm is usually a drug prescribed from a doctor.

Tips & Warnings

  • Go with your gut. If you think a person is abusing prescription drugs, most likely she is.
  • Don't wait to confront the person who is potentially abusing prescription drugs about her habit.

Resources

Photo/Video Credit

photo by Andrzej Gdula with Sxc.hu

How to Identify Prescription Drugs Provided by eHow.com
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