How Do You Identify a Pill Imprint Code?
Several websites have pill imprint code identifiers, such as WebMD, RxList and Drugs.com, that allow patients to input the code into a customized search engine. Users need an imprint code, color and shape of the pill. For more general results in searches, only the imprint code is needed. For more specific results, users need as much information as possible including color and shape.
Drugs.com explains that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration requires all approved oral medications to have a unique imprint code, including homeopathic biological drug products. Each pill code leads patients, healthcare providers and law enforcement agencies to a full list of ingredients, the manufacturer’s name and the strength of the drug. Pill code identifiers are ideal when patients drop pills, mix them in a pill box case or need to check if a medication has a generic form.
A pill imprint code contains a letter, number or combination of letters and numbers, according to Drugs.com. Codes may include words, company names, logos, monograms, National Drug Code designations, symbols and marks. These codes are placed directly on pills, either by embossing or engraving. Pill imprint codes are created by drug manufacturers for each unique product.
Drugs.com has a way for patients to browse pill codes depending on the alphabetic letters or numerals that start the code. The website has information on more than 24,000 medicines.
