🧪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.”
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- hs, from the Latin “hora somni,” means “take at bedtime.”
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- ps, from the Latin “post cibum,” means “take after a meal.”
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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.
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- as, from the Latin “auris sinister,” or “left ear,” means that your medication should be taken via your left year.
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- au, from the Latin “auris utro” or “each ear,” denotes medication meant to be taken in both ears.
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- 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.
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- po, from the Latin “per os,” or “by mouth,” means that medication should be taken orally.
- pr - per rectum
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- s or ø -
without
- sl -
sublingual
- subq indicates that medication should be taken subcutaneously.
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- sup means that medication is a suppository.
- top - apply
topically
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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.”
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- 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"
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- qid, from the Latin “quater in die", means "4 times a day"
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- tid, from the Latin “ter in die", means "3 times a day"
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Dosage information
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- i, ii, iii and iiii medical abbreviations indicate dose size and equate to 1, 2, 3 and 4.
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Последнее изменение: Wednesday, 15 March 2023, 14:43
