You’re re-filling the same old prescription – but the pills look different....

It can feel a bit confusing when the medication you’ve been taking regularly suddenly looks different...

This is happening more often, especially with generic drugs, due to patent laws that govern brand-name medication. Generics are not allowed to copy the size, shape and color of a brand-name pill and usually try to make those pills a bit different than other generics.

Before your prescription is even filled, pharmacies and wholesalers are busy shopping around for the best generic deal - which means the look of your pill or medication could change each time you fill it. 

It’s important to be extra careful every time your medication changes in appearance. Some consumers get in the habit of taking medicine by color. Getting too comfortable with different looking pills can also make it much harder to spot a mistake. If it looks different, ask the pharmacist to double check it anyway.