How to Get Pills Out of a Blister Pack

It seems that more and more pills are issued in a blister pack. The manufacturers must think the day of the week printed on these helps the user. I found them incredibly difficult to remove from the packaging. Here are ways to extract them.paper packaging , corrugated boxes , injection molded packaging

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

  • an ice pick
  • a knife
  • strong fingernails
  1. 1

    Some non-prescription medicines like cold pills or sinus pills are fairly easy to remove. Just press on the pill from the front and they pop out through the foil backing.

  2. 2

    Try first to remove the pills by pressing on an individual pill (front to back). When that fails, try breaking through the backing next to a pill using your fingernail.

  3. 3

    It seems the prescription ones like those for osteoporosis, cancer reducing hormone pill, and birth control are more heavily packaged. This makes them very difficult to extract from their blister pack. I recommend enlisting the aid of your spouse.

  4. 4

    Even with two of us working on it, it took twenty minutes to get 90 pills out. My husband used a knife and I had an ice pick. Do not allow children to participate in the pill extraction effort. Be cautious with the knife and ice pick, so you don't stab yourself or gouge the kitchen counter.

  5. 5

    For some reason the company that makes them changed the packaging thinking if they were marked with the day of the week, the user would remember to take them like you're suppose to. Perhaps they made them way harder to open so children wouldn't accidentally get into them.

  6. 6

    Call the pharmacist to let them know it was a problem. I guess I wasn't the first call to complain as I was told my next prescription order would be back in the standard bottle.