# Is there a doctor in the house? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 20, 2000, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-doctor-in-the-house/6428 "2000-01-20T17:56:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2000, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-doctor-in-the-house/6428/1 "2000-01-20T17:56:00Z")
…or a nurse, or a pharmacist. I have a pill which I cannot identify. It is: **a white tablet, stubby oblong shape, approx. 1/2 inch long. blank on one side, scored across middle on other. on one side of the score it says MIA, on the other: 110** Help, please. ---
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2000, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-doctor-in-the-house/6428/2 "2000-01-21T06:09:00Z")
Ask your local pharmacist for help. If in doubt, trash it! ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2000, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-doctor-in-the-house/6428/3 "2000-01-21T06:27:00Z")
I’m pretty sure that MIA is the initials of a major pharamceutical company. 110 means that the tablet weighs 110 miligrams. If you don’t know what bottle it came out of, there is probably no way to visually identify it. * * * Elmer J. Fudd, Millionaire. I own a mansion and a yacht. ---
**Author:** ![ignatiusjreilly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/2acd7d/32.png) [@ignatiusjreilly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ignatiusjreilly)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2000, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-doctor-in-the-house/6428/4 "2000-01-21T06:30:00Z")
Gramps, how about in the name of science you pop that pill and report back to us in an hour? The, if you (can) give us the effects, we might better be able to identify the agent at work! 😉 Anyone want to take bets? ---
**Author:** ![torq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dfb087/32.png) [@torq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/torq)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2000, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-doctor-in-the-house/6428/5 "2000-01-21T06:36:00Z")
Actually, believe it or not, there are entire books filled with pictures of various pills so that you can identify them based on shape, color, markings, etc. The Physician’s Desk Reference will have a “Visual Identification” section; you should be able to find this at your local library. Be aware that there are (or were, last time I checked) two distinct versions of the PDR, one for prescription and one for non-prescription drugs. You may need to check both of them, and it helps if you’ve already got SOME idea what it might be. Or, as noted, you can ask a pharmacist. Pharmacists know pills the way some people know cars: “That’s a 1973 Belchfire 8 made during the first half of the model year. You can tell because the rear wheels have 47 holes around the outer rim, not 48 like they did in '74 and the last half of '73.” ---
**Author:** ![frolix8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f04885/32.png) [@frolix8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/frolix8)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2000, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-doctor-in-the-house/6428/6 "2000-01-20T22:00:00Z")
Ah yes, the PDR. Any self-respecting druggie in the 70’s had one. Handy book when you’re buying pills from strangers. There are some smaller versions available now, but I can’t recall the name. Not as complete but still covers most of the scheduled drugs. Enjoy. ---
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2000, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-doctor-in-the-house/6428/7 "2000-01-20T22:44:00Z")
There is a site that lets you search by imprint codes: [http://www.rxlist.com/cgi/rxlistid.cgi](http://www.rxlist.com/cgi/rxlistid.cgi) But your info. didn’t return anything useful when I tried it. Maybe it’s an over-the-counter thing? ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2000, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-doctor-in-the-house/6428/8 "2000-01-21T19:01:00Z")
C’mon, somebody’s gotta know what it is. ---
**Author:** ![GasDr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ba9def/32.png) [@GasDr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GasDr)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2000, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-doctor-in-the-house/6428/9 "2000-01-22T01:12:00Z")
Couldn’t find it in my 1994 PDR. So, either it was produced after '94 or it is a non-prescription med. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2000, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-doctor-in-the-house/6428/10 "2000-01-22T03:11:00Z")
Here’s the info. The reason it wasn’t in the PDR is because it’s a generic. Only brand-name drugs are listed in the PDR. The brand name for this combo is Fioricet, used for migraine or other severe headaches. This is a controlled substance; posession or use without a CURRENT valid prescription could cause legal difficulties. Also, any drug too old for you to remember what it’s for should be discarded; while most drugs simply lose potency over time, others degrade into toxic substances. Throw it away. MIA 110 (IMPRINT CODE): BUTALBITAL, ACETAMINOPHEN AND CAFFEINE from NOVARTIS GENERICS POISINDEX Toxicologic Managements BARBITURATES-SHORT ACTING ACETAMINOPHEN CAFFEINE IMPRINT CODE: MIA 110 COLOR: WHITE SHAPE: CAPSULE-SHAPED, SCORED FORM: TABLET ACTIVE INGREDIENTS: ACETAMINOPHEN 325 MG BUTALBITAL 50 MG CAFFEINE 40 MG AVAILABLE CONTAINER: BOTTLE OF 100; BOTTLE OF 500 FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: GENEVA GENERICS * * * Sue from El Paso Experience is what you get when you didn’t get what you wanted.