Pill library could be good prescription for caregivers
Taking medication? Get more information about what each pill does from the National Institutes of Health pill library website at bit.ly/nih-pills. Credit: AP / Graeme Roy
If you are called upon to fill in as a temporary caregiver for a loved one, you will certainly get a list of tasks and times to do daily routines from the regular caregiver. But faced with a pillbox filled with several medications and left with instructions that may be as sketchy as, "Give the round blue pill at 10 a.m. and the white oblong pill at 1 p.m.," mistakes could happen.
If you're in this situation, you may be able to get more information about what each pill does from the National Institutes of Health pill library website at bit.ly/nih-pills. (The site requires that Adobe Flash be installed on your Web browser.) WebMD features a similar service at bit.ly/webmd-pills.
Enter information about the shape, color, size and any letters imprinted on the pill. If a match is found, you can access extensive information about the drug.
