Your use of this product acknowledges acceptance of these restrictions, disclaimers, and limitations. Your pharmacy may be able to help with thisand some may even offer it as a special service.This Service is intended for use by consumers in the United States. Rather than mixing, organize drugs in a weekly pill box. "If people get into that groove, and then there's a switch, that could confuse them." The pink one is for high blood pressure, and I take it twice a day,'" Vaida says. "They're depending on color or shape to differentiate, such as 'The white pill is for my heart, and I take it in the morning. (These sorts of differences can sometimes even be found between the same brand-name drug that is manufactured at different times.) Our medical experts say talk with your pharmacist if you are concerned about this issue to assure that you are able to receive your medication from the same manufacturer each month.Ī different looking generic drug can also be dangerous for those who mix several pills in one bottle. Although it is allowed by the FDA, it could affect some people's response to the medication. That's because there can be very small variations among the same generics with different manufacturers. For narrow-therapeutic-range medications such as blood thinners, antiseizure drugs or thyroid medications, our medical consultants recommend staying on a generic drug made by one manufacturer. Problems might still occur even after you've confirmed that the unfamiliar pills are the correct ones. Search by shape or color, the drug's name or the letters or numbers that appear on it, also called an imprint. If you're tech-savvy, you can determine whether you've got the right medication with 's Pill Identifier. "This confusion could be resolved if a person takes a look at his or her medication before they leave the pharmacy," Vaida says. Seeing unfamiliar pills could be problematicyou might call or return to the pharmacy for answers. Many people don't inspect drugs they've purchased until they get home. Either group may change the generic drug companies they work with, which could also result in receiving pills that are a different color, shape or size, says Vaida. Sometimes, insurance companies or pharmacy benefit managers are to blame. "The ideal situation is that your medications stay standard and constant, but we know that's not always possible," says Allen Vaida, PharmD, executive vice president of the Institute for Safe Medication Practices. The result is that you might receive different looking pills from month to month, even though it is for the same generic medication. Then, because pharmacies often change suppliersor their wholesalers doa pharmacy's own stock of a particular generic drug may continually rotate. Additionally, generic drug manufacturers can also take it a step further by producing generic pills that look different from another manufacturer's generics pills. Due to certain patent laws that govern brand-name medications, generic drug manufacturers are not allowed to copy how a brand-name pill looks in terms of its shape, its color and its size. The same generic drug, made by a different manufacturer, can indeed look different. Isn't this confusing? Why does it happen?Ī: Yes, it is confusing, and unfortunately, it's fairly common. The pharmacist says are the same medication. Q: I've been refilling the same generic drug prescription at my pharmacy for months without incident, but this month, I was given pills that are a different shape and color.
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