COLORED PILLS

by Dr. Nitin Mehta

Just have a look at the medicinal pills you are popping. Wondering the extraordinary proliferation of COLORS that pills come in.While many are the traditional white.

Others come in more shades equally found in smarties. The Color variety range of medicinal pills make more easily identifiable to patients and doctors, who get answers from confused patients such as ‘ those little round pills’. Of course,
it reduces the risk of accidental poisoning, to distinguishing dosages prescribed during a specified course of medication. A 28 – day pack of oral contraceptives includes seven inactive pills of different colors from the rest is a good example.

Smart marketing, effective for the patients expectations, is read, understand the psychology of color. It appears cooler hues – blue and green giving calm effect, while warm ones – red, orange or yellow are stimulating [BMJ 1996]. It is shown that patients given pills of having identical formula but of different colors, blue are more likely to feel tranquillized than those given red or orange ones, the placebo has also the same effect. These volunteers taking blue pills were drowsier than those taking pink placebos. So, it is not accidental that unlike antidepressants, sedatives, insomnia and anxiety treatments are all in shades of green, blue, or purple. Even our perceptions of these colors extend to the anticipated effects scarlet for cardiac conditions, tan beige or burnt orange appropriate for skin disorders. These effects can even be culture specific certain shades are associated with purity, power and dependability. The right color speaks volumes to the patients, incidentally, one observes the prescriptions jotted down the colors in the margin. The promotion campaigns do take color of the medicines along with effects as a major thrust.

But, one still wonder the exceptions do occur, pale blue and diamond shaped tablets of Viagra are most popularly effective even though not fire engine red and heart shaped.