What Do Sleeping Pills Look Like?

Sleeping pills are either over-the-counter or prescribed drugs that aid commonly in nighttime sleep. Ideally, they are taken as short-term remedies to aid in bouts of insomnia or to reset the body clock. Many doctors and experts advise against the use of sleeping pills long-term as some variants can lead to dependency and other negative side effects.

If you have seen a drug in your home without any label but you suspect is a sleeping pill, the guide below can help you identify what does sleeping looks like, its colors, and the typical milligrams available. Also available below is a guide on how you can address a potential sleeping pill abuse problem.

Sleeping Pills Physical Appearance

Before we understand the physical appearance of sleeping pills, we should know first the common drugs that are marketed as sleep aids or treatment for insomnia. The most commonly prescribed ones are:

• Doxepine
• Eszopiclone
• Lemborexant
• Ramelteon
• Suvorexant
• Zaleplon
• Zolpidem

Sleeping pills comprise a large umbrella of generic and brand drugs available through prescription. Thus, you can go by these labels to help you identify if they are sleeping pills. If the suspected drug does not have a label or is packaged differently, this color and shape guide can help you out as well.

What color is a sleeping pill ?

Doxepine

Doxepine looks like a typical capsule with the label “Dox”. It can come in various milligrams, such as 10, 25, and 50. The colors can vary depending on the dosage, such as yellow and white, blue and white, or pink and red.

The branded name, Silenor, comes in a tablet form that is shaped like an oval. It has the etched mark SP on the tablet which is color light blue or white.​​ The 3mg dose is light blue and the 6mg dose is white.

Eszopiclone

Eszopiclone comes in a tablet form for the generic brand. It is a circular pill that has colors ranging from blue, white, and orange. It has various labels and colors per milligram as well. Commonly, you would find labels RD 617 and 93 E9 on a blue pill, as this is the common appearance of the generic brands.

Lunesta, the branded name, comes in a dark blue or white rounded pill. It has the label S 193 for the typical 3mg dose, and a white pill with imprint S 191 for the 2mg dose.

Lemborexant

Lemborexant is rarely in generic forms but its branded name, Dayvigo, can look like an orange or light tan round tablet with an imprint of LEM 5 or LEM 10. The LEM 5 which is 5 milligrams will have a light tan color and the LEM 10 which is 10 milligrams will have a dark orange color.

Ramelteon

Generic Ramelteon commonly has 3 appearances or variants for its 8 mg dose. The first one is colored yellow, round, and has an imprint of I3 5. The second variant is light yellow, round, with an imprint of 1344. The third one is orange, round, and has an imprint of WPI.

Rozerem, the brand name looks like a white round pill with an imprint that reads TAK RAM 8.

Suvorexant

The generic version of this drug is commonly in 10 mg, round pill with a light green color. It is imprinted with the number 33.

The branded version, Belsomra, has the brand’s floral-looking logo on it on round or oval tablets. Belsomra 20 mg is round, white, and has imprint 335 with the logo on it. The Belsomra 15 mg is oval, white, and has imprint 325 with the logo on it.

Zaleplon

Zaleplon generic variant can come in capsule form. The 5mg dose has a color white and aqua capsule with the imprint 93 5268. The 10 mg dose has a color light blue and aqua capsule, with the imprint 93 5269.

The branded variant called Sonata has a logo on it, and the capsule has either white, light blue, or green colors. It will also determine the dosage which is either 5mg or 10mg.

Zolpidem

The generic version of the drug is commonly shaped like an oval tablet. The 10 mg variant is colored white, shaped like an oval with the imprint E 79 on it.​​ The 10 mg will commonly have a square logo with four dots, and a 10MG imprint.

The most popular brand of the drug, Ambien also looks like an oval with the colors pink and white. The 5 mg dose is shaped like an oval, colored pink, and has an imprint AMB 5 5401. The 10 mg is shaped oval as well, colored white, with the imprint AMB 10 5421.

Now that you are more familiar with what do generic sleeping pills look like as well as their branded versions, it can be also helpful to know if you suspect the abuse of these drugs in yourself or a loved one.

Since sleeping pills have a sedative effect, they can lead a person to form tolerance and dependency. In the next section, you can take note of the signs of sleeping pills abuse.

Signs of Sleeping Pill Abuse

• Taking more than the intended dosage of the drugs
• Inability to focus during tasks
• Taking the drug more than the length of time prescribed
• Changing doctors or healthcare facilities to get more prescriptions
• Slurred speech
• Movement or motor problems
• Problems in attention and memory
• Experiencing euphoria

If any of these signs are present in yourself or a loved one, it is best to seek professional substance use disorder help right away.

How to Get Help for Sleeping Pill Abuse

Addiction to sleeping pills can be dangerous as they can lead to overdose. As these drugs have a sedative effect on the brain and body, they can trigger a response for organs to stop working, such as the lungs and the heart. Thus, finding help for suspected sleeping pill abuse is very important. Below are some of the concrete steps you can take:

Contact a trusted substance use disorder center

Substance use disorder centers that specialize in sleeping pill abuse can help you receive customized treatment for yourself or your loved one. You can call to inquire about the services, verify your insurance, or ask for advice about how to get started on addiction recovery. Reaching out requires no commitment at all and will help clarify things about substance use disorder rehab.

Confide in a trusted friend or family member

Letting a loved one know about your struggles regarding substance use disorder can help in terms of support and accountability. They can provide you with resources, or help you stay on track when trying to be sober. Additionally, if you have other family members suffering from abuse, they can also participate in guided interventions.

Start with local resources

Local resources are also vital in substance use disorder treatment. You can participate in Narcotics Anonymous support groups, have health and wellness clubs, or attend substance use disorder prevention seminars to help in your recovery journey.

Sleeping Pill Abuse: Awareness Is Key

Sleeping pills are considered safe when used under the advice of a doctor, but they can also lead to a spiral of abuse and addiction. Thus, being aware of what it looks like, seeking help for addiction, and talking to trusted people are vital to one’s recovery.