Safety Tool
Identify any unknown pill, tablet, or capsule by imprint code, shape, color, and size. Our database covers thousands of prescription and OTC medications.
Safety Note: This tool is for educational identification only. Always confirm pill identification with a licensed pharmacist. Never take an unidentified pill.
Enter at least one field — more info = better results
Letters, numbers, or symbols printed/engraved on the pill
Imprint codes are unique identifiers required by the FDA on all US prescription medications. If you cannot find a match, bring the pill to your local pharmacist for identification.
Identifying an unknown pill is important for medication safety — whether you've found a loose tablet, received medications from a new pharmacy, or need to verify what you're taking. The MedCentralHub Pill Identifier helps you determine a pill's identity using its physical characteristics.
The FDA requires that all solid oral dosage forms (tablets and capsules) sold in the United States bear a unique imprint that can be used for identification. These imprints typically contain:
Beyond the imprint, pill characteristics that aid identification include:
If you cannot identify a pill using online tools:
The requirement for unique imprints on solid oral dosage forms in the United States dates back to 1995, when the FDA published the final rule mandating identification codes on all prescription and most OTC solid oral medications. This regulation was driven by concerns about medication errors, accidental ingestions (particularly by children), counterfeit drugs entering the supply chain, and the increasing need for reliable identification in emergency situations. Before 1995, many medications were unmarked or used inconsistent labeling, making identification of unknown pills nearly impossible in many cases.
The system works because every prescription medication marketed in the United States must register its imprint with the FDA. These imprints are unique to specific manufacturers and dosages — even when the same medication is made by multiple generic manufacturers, each has its own distinct imprint code. This creates a comprehensive identification network covering hundreds of thousands of distinct medication products. Pharmacists, poison control centers, hospitals, and law enforcement all rely on this system daily to identify medications during emergencies and routine practice.
In a typical pharmacy, when an unknown pill is presented for identification, the pharmacist follows a systematic approach. First, they examine the imprint code carefully under good lighting, sometimes using magnification for tiny markings. Modern pharmacies have computer systems with pill databases that can quickly look up imprints — typing in "L484" returns acetaminophen 500mg, "M30" returns oxycodone 30mg, and so forth. The system also cross-references shape and color to confirm identification when imprints are partial or worn.
Hospital pharmacies face particular challenges because patients often bring "brown bags" of various medications, sometimes without labels, particularly during admission. Many hospitals require formal "medication reconciliation" upon admission, where pharmacists or nurses identify and verify every medication a patient takes. This process commonly involves pill identification, both visual and through laboratory analysis for unidentifiable pills.
Emergency departments encounter unknown pills frequently — overdose cases, suspected drug ingestion in children, drug-facilitated assault investigations, and patients unable to communicate due to medical conditions. Rapid identification can guide treatment decisions critically. Poison control centers, available 24/7 in the United States via the universal number 1-800-222-1222, provide expert pill identification along with toxicological consultation.
Several situations commonly require pill identification:
Shape: Pill shape is determined by both manufacturing considerations and marketing decisions. Round pills are most common because they're easiest to manufacture. Oval and capsule-shaped tablets are easier to swallow. Some manufacturers use distinctive shapes (diamond, triangle, pentagon) as branding to prevent counterfeiting and aid identification.
Color: Pill colors come from FDA-approved colorants. Different colors often indicate different strengths of the same medication — for example, Adderall XR comes in clear/orange beads for 5mg, clear/blue for 10mg, etc. Generic manufacturers sometimes change colors after manufacturer updates, which can confuse long-term users who expect a particular appearance.
Size: Pill size relates to dose strength, manufacturing constraints, and ease of swallowing. Larger doses generally require larger pills, but tablet density varies by formulation. Some medications come in unusually small or large sizes due to their specific properties.
Scoring: Score lines (grooves designed for splitting) indicate pills that can be cut in half for dose adjustment. However, not all scored pills should be split — extended-release formulations, enteric-coated tablets, and many capsules lose their function or cause harm when split. Always check with a pharmacist before splitting any medication.
Coatings: Film coatings (smooth, often colored finish) protect medications from environmental degradation and mask unpleasant tastes. Sugar coatings provide similar functions but are thicker. Enteric coatings (often gray or unique colors) prevent dissolution in the stomach, releasing medication only in the intestine for medications that irritate the stomach or are destroyed by stomach acid. Time-release and extended-release formulations use specialized coating technologies and should never be crushed or split.
Counterfeit prescription medications represent a serious and growing public health threat. The DEA reports that fentanyl-laced counterfeit pills have caused thousands of overdose deaths in recent years. Counterfeit pills often look remarkably similar to genuine products but may contain wrong active ingredients, wrong doses, dangerous contaminants, or completely different substances.
Warning signs of potentially counterfeit pills include:
If you suspect counterfeit medication, do not take it. Report the suspicion to the FDA, contact your physician, and obtain medications only through legitimate, licensed pharmacies.
Accidental medication ingestion is a leading cause of poisoning in children, with over 50,000 emergency department visits annually in the United States. Common culprits include grandparents' blood pressure or diabetes medications, parents' anxiety or sleep medications, and over-the-counter products like iron supplements (a major cause of childhood poisoning fatalities). When a child ingests an unknown pill, time is critical.
If a child swallows an unknown pill:
Many patients use pill organizers (weekly pill boxes) to manage multiple medications. While these can help with adherence, they also create identification challenges. Once pills are removed from their original containers, the bottle labels are no longer associated with individual pills. If someone else needs to manage medications (during illness, hospitalization, or for elderly relatives), identifying pills in organizers becomes essential.
Best practices for medication management include:
The MedCentralHub Pill Identifier provides a valuable resource for identifying unknown medications, but remember that it complements — never replaces — professional pharmacy services. Pharmacists undergo years of training specifically in medication identification and have access to comprehensive databases and tools. They can identify pills that online tools struggle with, particularly older medications, foreign medications, and pills with worn or partial imprints.
Whenever you have any doubt about a pill's identity, take it to a pharmacist before consuming it. Most pharmacies offer this service free of charge as part of their commitment to medication safety. Your pharmacist can also help with related questions: medication storage, expiration dates, proper disposal of unused medications, and counseling on safe medication use.
Remember: An unidentified pill is potentially dangerous. Taking the wrong medication can have serious or even fatal consequences. The few minutes it takes to verify a pill's identity could prevent a medical emergency. When in doubt, identify before you ingest — or better yet, dispose of unidentified pills safely through pharmacy take-back programs or DEA medication disposal events.
Enter the imprint code (letters or numbers printed on the pill), select the shape and color, and optionally enter the size. The more information you provide, the more accurate your results.
A pill imprint is the combination of letters, numbers, and symbols printed or engraved on a tablet or capsule. The FDA requires all prescription and most OTC solid oral dosage forms to have a unique imprint to enable identification.
Pills without imprints are typically dietary supplements, vitamins, or foreign medications. Most legal prescription medicines in the US are required by the FDA to have an imprint. An unidentifiable unmarked pill could be counterfeit and should not be taken.
Our database is comprehensive and regularly updated, but pill identification should be confirmed by a pharmacist, especially for critical medications. Always bring unidentified pills to a pharmacist for definitive identification.
Our primary database covers human medications. For veterinary pill identification, visit our Veterinary Medicine section or consult your veterinarian directly.