What a medicine identifier by photo does
You find a strip at the back of a drawer, a parent comes home with a new prescription, or you buy something abroad with a label you can't read. A medicine identifier lets you photograph the pack and find out what it is and what it's for, without searching name by name.
Saluvo's medicine scanner reads the printed label on a strip, bottle or box and gives you a short, plain card about that medicine.
How to scan a medicine to know its use
- Open the scanner and take a photo of the pack, or add one from your phone.
- Keep the name and the strength (like 500 mg) sharp, flat and in good light. If the strip is cut, photograph the part with the name printed on it.
- Read the card, then save it to the right person.
What you see on the card
- Name: the brand as printed, plus the active ingredients and their strength.
- Form: tablet, capsule, syrup, cream and so on.
- Used for: the conditions it's commonly used for.
- How it's usually taken: general guidance from the pack, like with food or swallowed whole. Never a personal dose.
- Common side effects.
- Be careful if: who should take extra care, and warnings such as alcohol.
- Prescription medicine: a label when it usually needs a prescription.
- Expiry: the date, when it's printed and readable.
Can I identify a pill without the packaging?
This is where honesty matters. Saluvo is built to read packs, not to match a loose tablet by its shape, colour or imprint. Many tablets look alike, and a guess could be dangerous. If you only have a loose pill:
- Don't take it until you know what it is.
- Take it to a pharmacist, who can check the imprint against a reference.
- If someone has already swallowed an unknown pill and feels unwell, call your local emergency number or poison centre.
If Saluvo can't read a medicine name, it says so and your credits are returned.
What this medicine is for, and what it isn't
Knowing a medicine's common uses is not the same as knowing why it was given to you. A doctor may use the same medicine for a different reason, or at a different dose. Saluvo's card is a starting point for a conversation, never an instruction to start, stop or change a medicine.
Does it check drug interactions?
No. The scanner tells you general cautions for one medicine at a time. It doesn't compare everything a person takes. If you or a family member take more than one medicine, ask a pharmacist to check them together. You can also ask Saluvo's chat for questions to bring to that conversation.
From scan to reminder
Each scan is saved to the medicine list of the family member it belongs to, so you can keep track of what everyone takes. From any card, tap "Set a reminder" to open a reminder with the medicine's name filled in, then get it on WhatsApp at the times you choose.
What it costs
You need a free account to scan medicines. Confirm your email and you get 30 free credits. Each scan is charged at 3 times what it cost us, about 0.1 of a credit in Normal mode or about 1.4 in Pro, and nothing if the photo can't be read.
