Suppose your pill was always a tan color, but your refill bottle is full of blue pills. Or maybe it was round, but not it is oblong. What is up with that?
Often patients just stop taking the medication, which is a bad idea. In fact, according to Johns Hopkins University, in some cases it could be life threatening.
Researchers looked at patients who began taking a generic heart medicine after having a heart attack. Among those whose drugs remained at the same dosage but changed appearance, 66 percent of patients stopped taking it when the pills changed shape, and 34 percent stopped taking it when the pill was a different color.
Pharmacies sometimes change their drug suppliers, so pills can have a different color or shape each time they do.
If your prescription looks different when you refill it, call the pharmacy to verify that it's the correct medication.
You can also find several websites that will help you identify the pill. Simply search for "identify pill."
