How to Identify Foreign Dihydrocodeine

Dihydrocodeine is a chemical painkiller that is twice as powerful as its close relative codeine. It is found in the chemical tree of opioids. This drug has been in use for decades, as a way to deal with pain that regular aspirin and other medications just can't cope with. However, it is important that you know what dihydrocodeine looks like if you're taking it, and it's equally important that you make sure you can properly identify the pills, if they come from a foreign source.

Things You'll Need

• American dihydrocodeine pill or picture

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Instructions

• 1

  Examine the dihydrocodeine pill's number stamp. American drug manufacturers are required to stamp identification numbers on these pills for identification purposes. Foreign governments don't have this requirement, or the numbers might be different. Compare the suspect dihydrocodeine pill to an American one, or to a photograph of an American pill. If the pill is completely smooth, you can be confident it's from a foreign country.

• 2

  Compare the shape and color of the pill. Dihydrocodeine is often combined with other drugs, so you need to make sure that the drugs you're comparing are the same composition. If you've had dihydrocodeine pills before, and the new pills are a different size, shape, texture and color then you should be suspicious of the contents of the pill, as well as where it was manufactured.

• 3

  Examine the packaging the dihydrocodeine pills came in. Just because the box is written in English, doesn't mean the pills were manufactured in America. Look for the manufacturer's name, as well as where that company can be found. If your pills were mailed to you, examine the return address.