What is pill 34 used for? Understanding various medications with '34' imprints

October 8, 2025 •

4 min read

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), most prescription and over-the-counter oral solid medications are required to have an imprint code for identification. The number '34' is only a partial identifier, and answering the question 'What is pill 34 used for?' is impossible without more details, as it appears on many different medications with varied functions.

Quick Summary

The imprint '34' is insufficient for identifying a pill because it is part of the code for multiple drugs. Accurate identification requires confirming the full imprint, color, and shape to determine the specific medication and its purpose.

Key Points

Partial Imprint: The number '34' alone is an insufficient identifier for a pill, as it appears on various medications with different uses.
Full Identification: Accurate identification requires checking the full imprint, including any letters, numbers, symbols, color, and shape.
Variety of Uses: Medications featuring '34' can range from antiplatelet agents (Clopidogrel) and muscle relaxants (Tizanidine) to CNS stimulants (Amphetamine/Dextroamphetamine).
Safety First: Never take an unidentified pill. Consult a pharmacist or doctor for verification, or use a reliable online pill identifier tool.
Risk of Misidentification: Confusing medications can lead to dangerous side effects, adverse drug interactions, and failure to treat the intended condition.
Professional Guidance: When in doubt, a healthcare professional is the most authoritative source for confirming a pill's identity.
Use Reference Tools: Tools from Drugs.com and WebMD allow searching by multiple criteria to narrow down pill possibilities accurately.

The Importance of Full Pill Imprints

An imprint code is the combination of letters, numbers, or symbols found on a pill, required by the FDA to help identify it. While a search for 'pill 34' will yield results, the results will vary widely based on the pill's color, shape, and other characters included in the imprint. Relying on the number '34' alone can lead to dangerous mix-ups between medications intended for very different conditions, such as heart disease, muscle spasms, and motion sickness. A stray pill found in a cabinet should never be assumed to be a specific drug without confirming all visual identifiers using a reliable pill finder tool or consulting a healthcare professional.

Common Medications with '34' in their Imprint

Due to the ambiguity of the number '34' alone, it is essential to consider the full imprint, color, and shape. Here are some examples of different medications that include '34' in their identification code:

Pink, round pill with 'E 34': This is Clopidogrel 75 mg (brand name Plavix), a platelet aggregation inhibitor. It is used to prevent blood clots that can cause a heart attack or stroke.
White, round pill with 'E 34': This is Tizanidine Hydrochloride 2 mg, a skeletal muscle relaxant. It is prescribed to treat muscle spasticity and muscle spasms caused by conditions like multiple sclerosis or spinal cord injury.
White, oval pill with 'W 34': This is Metoprolol Succinate Extended-Release 25 mg, a beta-blocker. It treats conditions such as high blood pressure, angina, and heart failure.
Peach, round pill with 'N34': This is a generic version of Amphetamine and Dextroamphetamine 20 mg, a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant. It is used to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy.
Blue and white, oval pill with 'L 34': This is Meclizine Hydrochloride 12.5 mg, an anticholinergic antiemetic. Its primary uses are to prevent and treat nausea, vomiting, and dizziness caused by motion sickness or vertigo.
Yellow, round pill with 'PH 034': This is an 81 mg Chewable Aspirin. It is used as a blood thinner to prevent heart attacks and strokes in certain individuals.

How to Accurately Identify an Unknown Pill

If you find an unidentified pill, it is critical to follow a safe and systematic process to determine what it is. Never assume its purpose or take it without proper identification. Follow these steps:

Examine the full imprint: Note all letters, numbers, and symbols. Some pills have codes on both sides.
Note the physical characteristics: Record the pill's color, shape (e.g., round, oval, capsule), and size.
Use a reliable pill identifier tool: Utilize online databases like those from Drugs.com or WebMD, which allow searching by imprint, color, and shape.
Consult a professional: The safest course of action is to contact a pharmacist or doctor. They have access to comprehensive drug databases and your medication history.
Do not ingest: If you are unsure, do not take the pill. If there is any concern about overdose or poisoning, call 911 or your local poison control center immediately.

Comparison of Common 'Pill 34' Variants


Imprint	Color	Shape	Active Ingredient	Drug Class	Primary Uses
E 34	Pink	Round	Clopidogrel 75 mg	Platelet Aggregation Inhibitor	Preventing heart attack, stroke
E 34	White	Round	Tizanidine 2 mg	Skeletal Muscle Relaxant	Muscle spasms, spasticity
W 34	White	Oval	Metoprolol Succinate 25 mg	Cardioselective Beta Blocker	High blood pressure, heart failure
N34	Peach	Round	Amphetamine/Dextroamphetamine 20 mg	CNS Stimulant	ADHD, narcolepsy
L 34	Blue & White	Oval	Meclizine 12.5 mg	Anticholinergic Antiemetic	Vertigo, motion sickness
PH 034	Yellow	Round	Aspirin 81 mg	Antiplatelet	Heart attack/stroke prevention

Why Misidentification is Dangerous

Taking the wrong medication can have severe or even fatal consequences. A person with high blood pressure, for example, could experience a significant drop in blood pressure if they mistakenly took Tizanidine (a muscle relaxant) instead of Metoprolol (a beta-blocker), especially if both pills were round and white. Conversely, someone with heart disease who takes a muscle relaxant instead of their prescribed antiplatelet therapy (like Clopidogrel) could increase their risk of a heart attack or stroke. The potential for adverse drug interactions and side effects also makes blind medication use extremely hazardous.

Conclusion

The number '34' is a common partial imprint code that corresponds to multiple different medications, each with its own purpose, dosage, and side effects. To accurately answer the question, "What is pill 34 used for?" one must confirm the complete imprint code, color, and shape. Given the high stakes involved in taking medication, it is crucial to use a reliable pill identifier or consult a healthcare provider for any unidentified pills to ensure patient safety. For reliable identification, based on information from WebMD's Pill Identifier, always use the full imprint code, color, and shape.

Frequently Asked Questions

A pill cannot be identified by the number '34' alone because this number is only a partial imprint code. The FDA requires most pills to have a complete imprint with letters and numbers, along with a distinct color and shape, to ensure proper identification.

If you find an unknown pill with '34' on it, use the full imprint code, color, and shape to look it up in a reliable pill identifier tool online, like the one offered by Drugs.com or WebMD. For maximum safety, consult a pharmacist or doctor.

No, a pink round pill with the imprint 'E 34' is Clopidogrel, a platelet aggregation inhibitor, which is not a controlled substance. It is available only by prescription.

The pink round pill with imprint 'E 34' is Clopidogrel 75 mg, used for heart attack and stroke prevention. The white round pill with imprint 'E 34' is Tizanidine Hydrochloride 2 mg, a muscle relaxant. They are entirely different medications.

It is highly recommended that you do not take any pill you identify online unless it is clearly from your own, correctly labeled prescription. Factors like proper storage, dosage, and potential interactions are unknown, making it dangerous to self-prescribe or take unknown medication.

A peach round pill with the imprint 'N34' is Amphetamine and Dextroamphetamine 20 mg, a CNS stimulant used to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy.

According to the FDA, while some numbers or letters may be the same, the combination of the full imprint, color, and shape must be unique for each FDA-approved drug to avoid confusion. However, different generic companies might market the same drug from the same manufacturer with different packaging.