Medical technology and drug development have been in a rapid, constant evolution over the years and new drug molecules and innovative biologic treatments are discovered and developed all the time by pharmaceutical scientists. Listed among other types of pharmaceutical forms such as oral liquid formulations, injectables, or inhalers, pills remain the most common and easy-to-administer formulation, with an accurate dosage used by both patients at home or within medical centers.
A pill is a solid pharmaceutical formulation designed to be taken orally by mouth, usually swallowed whole. Once administrated, it is absorbed systemically, usually through the stomach, and it has effects around the body, depending on the location of the target receptors. Pills have a wide variety of applications, as they are used in order to both treat and prevent diseases, improve medical conditions or simply promote a state of well-being. As any medicine has side effects, and if taken when not needed or in large amounts can lead to toxicity, administrating the wrong type of pill voluntarily or by mistake may have serious health consequences.
There can be various moments in one’s lifestyle when knowing how to identify a pill may be very important. Whether the label got misplaced or they simply forgot what type of pills they put in a specific pill jar, consuming unknown pills might be very dangerous, which is why identifying a pill’s type must be the very first step. This can also be vital in cases of medical emergencies such as medication overdose by accident or drug poisoning.