🧪T2.3. 📚 TEXT 2. What Do Those Prescription Abbreviations Mean?

What Do Those Prescription Abbreviations Mean?

The pharmaceutical abbreviations that physicians use are often based on a combination of Latin and prescription shorthand, designed to get important information across as quickly as possible, to save space and to make it more difficult for a patient to alter a prescription on their own. These medication abbreviations are broken down into a few different categories:

Medical Abbreviations That Indicate When To Take Your Medication:

  • ac, from the Latin “ante cibum,” means “take before a meal.”

  • hs, from the Latin “hora somni,” means “take at bedtime.”

  • ps, from the Latin “post cibum,” means “take after a meal.”


Medical Abbreviations That Describe How To Use Your Medication:

    • ad, from the Latin “auris dexter,” or “right ear,” means that your medication should be taken via your right ear.

    • as, from the Latin “auris sinister,” or “left ear,” means that your medication should be taken via your left year.

    • au, from the Latin “auris utro” or “each ear,” denotes medication meant to be taken in both ears.

    • od, from the Latin “oculus dexter,” or “right eye,” and os, from the Latin “oculus sinister,” or “left eye,” mean that medication is for your right eye or left eye, respectively.

    • po, from the Latin “per os,” or “by mouth,” means that medication should be taken orally.
    • pr - per rectum

    • s or ø - without
    • sl - sublingual
    • subq indicates that medication should be taken subcutaneously.

    • sup means that medication is a suppository.
    • top - apply topically

    Medical Abbreviations That Inform How Often to Take Your Medication:

    • ad lib - freely, as needed
    • bid, from the Latin “bis in die,” means that the medication should be taken “twice a day.”
    • prn, from the Latin “pro re nata,” means that the medication should be taken “as needed.”

    • q, from the Latin “quaque,” means “every,” with medical abbreviations like:
    • qhr: “quaque hora,” meaning every hour, Q4HR meaning every four hours, etc.
    • q2h: “quaque 2 hora,” meaning “every 2 hours.”
    • qod: "quaque altera die," meaning "every other day / alternate days"

    • qid, from the Latin “quater in die", means "4 times a day"

    • tid, from the Latin “ter in die", means "3 times a day"


    Dosage information

    • Mitte - quantity 

    • cap - capsule

    • gtt - drops 

    • i, ii, iii and iiii medical abbreviations indicate dose size and equate to 1, 2, 3 and 4.

    • mg - milligrams

    • mL - milliliters

    • ss - one-half

    • tab - tablet

    • tbsp - tablespoon (15ml)

    • tsp - teaspoon (5ml)


    Last modified: Wednesday, 15 March 2023, 2:43 PM