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Original poster

What was this capsule?

117 replies

Worried888 · 16/02/2025 20:37

Was given the wrong drug in a healthcare setting. They don’t know what they gave me.

It was a small capsule (smaller than paracetamol) one half was coloured yellow/orange and the other pink/red.

I am absolutely terrified as to what it could have been as I’m 6 weeks pregnant.

OP posts:
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10
ForPearlViper · 16/02/2025 22:25

Others have mentioned omeprazole. I have been taking it for five years and during that time it has come in every colour of the rainbow and in different size capsules. It all depends on the manufacturer.

JMSA · 16/02/2025 22:21

Love, you need to step away from this thread and calm down x

canyouletthedogoutplease · 16/02/2025 22:21

Worried888 · 16/02/2025 22:18

Thank you, I’m very anxious because of it and it doesn’t help that I’ve had the most amount of bleeding I’ve had this pregnancy in the last two days plus am suffering with flu. Are there any tablets which could cause birth defects from just one capsule? And is it even less likely to have caused any harm because of my early stage of pregnancy?

I'm not a medical professional, but I will take a guess that frazzling yourself into oblivion with stress can have more detrimental effects than one tablet of anything.

Original poster
Worried888 · 16/02/2025 22:20

dodgemall · 16/02/2025 22:11

Here is tamiflu which is the same as what you were meant to be given I believe? And it's the colours you said.

Someone posted this above and unfortunately it didn’t look like that in terms of shade and I also think those capsules are too large to be the one I was given. In addition the ward said they only had oseltamivir which was yellow and white on the ward so it wouldn’t have been possible to have been given a different colour of the correct medication.

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Original poster
Worried888 · 16/02/2025 22:18

Thank you, I’m very anxious because of it and it doesn’t help that I’ve had the most amount of bleeding I’ve had this pregnancy in the last two days plus am suffering with flu. Are there any tablets which could cause birth defects from just one capsule? And is it even less likely to have caused any harm because of my early stage of pregnancy?

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dodgemall · 16/02/2025 22:11

Here is tamiflu which is the same as what you were meant to be given I believe? And it's the colours you said.

What was this capsule?
Fencehedge · 16/02/2025 22:11

Worried888 · 16/02/2025 22:06

Thank you, I’m not even interested in complaining. All I care about is the health of my baby. And I’m terrified about the prospect that it could be a “harmful in pregnancy” drug that’s somehow damaged my baby’s development in this early important stage.

Show quote history

1 tablet from a "harmful in pregnancy" drug will not do anything, I promise, The vast majority of tablets are not actually harmful, but as they don't use pregnant women in clinical trials, they just say that to cover themselves. Same as you 'shouldn't' have aromatherapy in the first 12 weeks, or many other things. Not because it's dangerous, but because nobody has ever properly looked at it. And 1 tablet is such a teeny tiny amount it really doesn't matter.

I can't emphasise enough how much more risky your own stress and cortisol is, than this 1 mystery tablet.

JMSA · 16/02/2025 22:11

Crikey, I think it's safe to say that you and baby will be fine!

Original poster
Worried888 · 16/02/2025 22:10

roycroppersshopper · 16/02/2025 22:07

The orange/red pill is 10mg omeprazole. For size comparison the green/white is 10mg prozac and the plain white is 100mg of levothyroxine.

Hope that helps. I understand your worries.

Thank you, I think it was more the size of the Prozac, and more pink and yellow tone to it than the red and orange tablet

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Original poster
Worried888 · 16/02/2025 22:08

JMSA · 16/02/2025 22:07

Did you only take one capsule? Confused

Yes because I was then discharged and dispensed the correct medication by my local pharmacy

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JMSA · 16/02/2025 22:07

Did you only take one capsule? Confused

roycroppersshopper · 16/02/2025 22:07

The orange/red pill is 10mg omeprazole. For size comparison the green/white is 10mg prozac and the plain white is 100mg of levothyroxine.

Hope that helps. I understand your worries.

What was this capsule?
Original poster
Worried888 · 16/02/2025 22:06

Fencehedge · 16/02/2025 22:04

Your stress and lack of sleep over this matter is really massively out of scale with the absolutely miniscule (honestly, totally negligible) potential risk of what you have taken. 1 tablet is neither here nor there. I have worked in maternity.

Stress and anxiety will not help. You will probably never find out. But it doesn't matter, from a safety perspective.

By all means complain, but please don't let this stress you out, honestly.

Thank you, I’m not even interested in complaining. All I care about is the health of my baby. And I’m terrified about the prospect that it could be a “harmful in pregnancy” drug that’s somehow damaged my baby’s development in this early important stage.

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Fencehedge · 16/02/2025 22:04

Your stress and lack of sleep over this matter is really massively out of scale with the absolutely miniscule (honestly, totally negligible) potential risk of what you have taken. 1 tablet is neither here nor there. I have worked in maternity.

Stress and anxiety will not help. You will probably never find out. But it doesn't matter, from a safety perspective.

By all means complain, but please don't let this stress you out, honestly.

Original poster
Worried888 · 16/02/2025 22:03

Idontjetwashthefucker · 16/02/2025 22:01

This?

The yellow side was a similar yellow but the pinky red side much more vibrant not pastel pink. They got out all their oseltamivir from the cupboard and they were all yellow and white. So it couldn’t have been the correct drug they gave me.

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Original poster
Worried888 · 16/02/2025 22:01

Sebsaloysius · 16/02/2025 22:00

That does sound like it could have been Omeprazole that you might have been given then. I've definitely had pinkish and yellow Omeprazole before, although my current ones are green and white.

Thank you, I really hope this is the case. I just want to know what it is so I can park with the stress and worry.

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Idontjetwashthefucker · 16/02/2025 22:01

This?

What was this capsule?
Poppins2016 · 16/02/2025 22:00

Worried888 · 16/02/2025 21:37

I had a look at omeprazole and can see it comes in loads of colours, I guess it could potentially be this and it would perhaps make some sense as alphabetically (if their drugs are stored that way) it would be close to the drug I was supposed to have. I don’t think it’s supposed to be given in pregnancy though 😞

Show quote history

Omeprazole can be prescribed during pregnancy - I've taken it 😊

Sebsaloysius · 16/02/2025 22:00

That does sound like it could have been Omeprazole that you might have been given then. I've definitely had pinkish and yellow Omeprazole before, although my current ones are green and white.

Original poster
Worried888 · 16/02/2025 21:58

Hankunamatata · 16/02/2025 21:55

What drug should it have been. If we know the drug name then more likely to pin it down - if it was misdispensed it's likely to be a similar name drug

It should have been Oseltamivir. But this is a larger yellow and white capsule - very different to what they gave me. And a scour of every brand of that drug across the world doesn’t show any that look remotely like what I was given

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youwerehr · 16/02/2025 21:58

Are you going to answer anyone who has asked what you were meant to be prescribed?

TrixieFatell · 16/02/2025 21:56

Worried888 · 16/02/2025 21:37

I had a look at omeprazole and can see it comes in loads of colours, I guess it could potentially be this and it would perhaps make some sense as alphabetically (if their drugs are stored that way) it would be close to the drug I was supposed to have. I don’t think it’s supposed to be given in pregnancy though 😞

Show quote history

We give omeprazole in pregnancy frequently.

Hankunamatata · 16/02/2025 21:55

What drug should it have been. If we know the drug name then more likely to pin it down - if it was misdispensed it's likely to be a similar name drug

Original poster
Worried888 · 16/02/2025 21:55

YellowFlowers1 · 16/02/2025 21:52

Oh bless you, that is honestly baffling and shocking. I really hope they get to the bottom of it for you

Show quote history

Me too because I’m absolutely terrified for my baby

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Original poster
Worried888 · 16/02/2025 21:54

Emptyandsad · 16/02/2025 21:50

Omeprazole/esomeprazole can be small capsules and they can come in red and pink

I have some that aren't that colour but are small. I'm trying to post a pic but having trouble with uploading it at the moment

Thank you, it was a similar size to that judging by the photo I think, but was a pink/red one side and yellow/orangey yellow the other side

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