The Federal Drug Administration(FDA) has attempted several times in the past 30 years to improve prescription drug labeling but without much success. It is hoped that with a greater government involvement due to such factors as Medicare's Part D prescription drug plan, that more efforts will be made to improve these labels.

Logo and Pharmacy Name in Bigger Type

Currently, the pharmacy name and logo may be the largest and most easily read part of the label on your prescription bottles. In much smaller type you will find the directions for taking the medication which will be brief at best. The name of the medication, the dose, the expiration date, the prescription number and the number of refills may be in much smaller type and far more difficult to read. The size of the label is dependent on the size of the bottle or tube and is standardized to fit in the pharmacy's printer.

Additional warning labels which may include more words are often in even smaller type, but usually have a colored background so that they stand out. These include warnings about not using heavy machinery or driving while taking this medication, not consuming alcohol while taking this drug, associated allergies, and whether or not to take this medication with food, or waiting a specified time frame before or after taking the medication.