Basic Prescription Abbreviations When your doctor hands you a prescription, it may seem unreadable. But knowing what the abbreviations mean is important – and may even save your life in case of an error. Here are some basic abbreviations to know before handing a prescription to a pharmacist. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • ā or ante - before alt - alternate amp - ampule amt - amount aq or h20 - water bol (bolus) - ball c̄ (cum) - with daw - dispense as written d/c - discontinue or discharge hr - hour liq - liquid Hx - history of OTC - over the counter p̄ (post) - after per - through or by q (quaque) - every rep - repeats Rx - prescription or treatment s̅ (sine) - without sol (solutio) - solution mixture sos (si opus sit) - if necessary susp - suspension mixture Tx - treatment UD or ut. dict. (ut dictum) - as directed w - with w/o - without x - multiplied by yo - years old Abbreviations for Dispensing If a doctor wants you to take the medication in a particular way, that will be indicated in the subscription part of the prescription. It details which bodily route the patient will use for the medication and how the medication should be dispensed. Some examples include: • • • • • • • • • • • AAA - apply to the affected area AD (auris dextra) - right ear AS (auris sinistra) - left ear cap - capsule comp - compound CD - controlled delivery CR - controlled release cr or crm - cream DR - delayed release emuls. - emulsion ER - extended release (or emergency room) • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • HS - half strength gt (gutta) - drop inf - infusion IJ or (inj.) - injection iv (intravenous) - by vein IM - intramuscular IN or NAS - intranasal IR - immediate release MR - modified release nebul (nebula) - a spray npo (nil per os) - nothing by mouth OD (oculus dexter) - right eye OS (oculus sinister) - left eye OU (oculus uterque) - both eyes po (per os) - by mouth pr (per rectum) - by rectum SR - sustained release supp (suppositorium) - suppository syr (syrupus) - syrup tab (tabella) - tablet top (topical) - by skin TR - timed release ung (unguentum) - ointment vag - vaginally How and How Often to Take Prescriptions One important detail to know is how often you need to take your prescription. You also need to know whether your prescription should be taken with food, with water, or by itself. Read these common abbreviations for how and how often a patient should take their medication. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • ac (ante cibum) - before meals achs (ante cibum et hora somni) - before meals and at bedtime ad lib (ad libitum) as you desire or need alt. h. (alternis horis) - every other hour ap (ante prandium) - before a meal atc - around the clock bid (bis in die) - twice a day cc (cum cibos) - with food dieb. alt. (diebus alternis) - every other day hs (hora somni) - at bedtime n or noct (nocte) - during the night noct. maneq. (nocte maneque) - at night and in the morning pc (post cibum) - after meals prn (pro re nata) - as needed qam (quaque ante meridiem) - every morning qd (quaque die) - once a day qid (quater in die) - four times a day qh (quaque hora) - hourly q.2h. - every 2 hours q.3h. - every 3 hours q.4h. - every 4 hours • • • qn (quaque nocte) - every night qs (quantum satis) - as much as needed t.i.d. (ter in die) - 3 times a day Abbreviations for Side Effects Knowing the potential side effects of a medication is important for patients. It can help them decide whether the benefits of taking the medication outweigh the risks. The following codes are used as warning about side effects, especially for people with certain medical conditions that may be affected by the medication. • • • • • • • • • ASA - contains acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin) C - caution D - drowsiness G - glaucoma H - habit-forming I - interaction N/V or N&V - nausea and vomiting S - diabetes X SOS - contains a substance that could cause problems Acronyms and Abbreviations Used by Nurses The following are some of the most common abbreviations and acronyms used by nurses and other medical staff as part of their daily duties. These medical abbreviations are commonly found on patient charts and other official records. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Abd - Abdomen A&D - Admission and discharge ADL - Activities of daily living Amb - Ambulatory, able to walk Amt - Amount AP - Appendectomy, anterior/posterior, apical pulse Cath - Catheter CBC - Complete blood count CCU or CICU - Cardiac care unit or coronary care unit CBR - Complete bed rest ABR - Absolute bed rest C/O - Complaint of CVA - Cerebrovascular accident or stroke CPR - Cardiopulmonary resuscitation DC or d/c - Discontinue or discharge • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • DX - Diagnosis ECG or EKG - Electrocardiogram EEG - Electroencephalogram FBS - Fasting blood sugar FF - Forced feeding or forced fluids Fx - Fracture GI - Gastrointestinal GTT - Glucose tolerance test Gyn - Gynecology HOB - Head of bed ICU - Intensive care unit I&O - Intake and output Isol - Isolation IV - Intravenous Noct - At night NPO - Nil per os (Latin meaning “nothing by mouth”) PAR - Postanesthesia room PO - Per os (Latin meaning “by mouth”) Post op spec - After surgery urine specimen PT - Patient or physical therapist pt - Pint ROM - Range of motion PROM - Passive range of motion SOB - Shortness of breath Stat - Statim (Latin meaning “immediately”) TPR - Temperature, pulse, respiration UA or U/A - Urinalysis VS - Vital signs W/C - Wheelchair Blood Test Measurement Abbreviations When you look at your blood work, you might see some abbreviations like “pg” or “mmol/L”. While confusing, these are abbreviations for the measurements for blood tests. Explore the various blood test measurement abbreviations. • • • • • • CMM - Cells Per Cubic Millimeter Da - Dalton dL - Deciliter fL - Femtoliter (Fraction of One-Millionth of a Liter) g/dL - Grams Per Deciliter IU/L - International Units Per Liter • • • • • • • kPa - kilopascal mEq/L - Milliequivalent Per Liter mg/dL - Milligrams Per Deciliter mL - Milliliter mmol/L - Millimoles Per Liter ng/mL - Nanograms Per Milliliter PG - Picograms (one trillionth of a gram)
