Know What Doctors Are Prescribing to You, Before Going to the Pharmacy

Often, when doctor's hand patients a prescription they are puzzled as to what they have just written down. Patients often worry that the pharmacy will not be able to understand what the doctor intended and as a result will give you the wrong drug or wrong directions. Sometimes this does happen, doctors are in a hurry and write down what they think to be the drug and directions they have just explained to you, but instead use the wrong abbreviations and change the prescription. That is why it is important to understand what the doctor intends and what they write on the prescription before leaving their office.

Those jumbled letters look like a foreign language to you, and in fact it is. These abbreviations used by medical professionals come from Latin words. For instance you may have a prescription that looks like this: Amoxil 500 # 30 Sig: tk 1 t po bid tat. DAW. This translates to Dispense 30 tablets of Amoxil strength 500 and label bottle take 1 tablet by mouth three times daily until all taken, dispense brand not the generic amoxicillin. It's fairly simple after you have learned what each abbreviation means. I have included a list of commonly used abbreviations to help you learn their meanings. I would be happy to answer any questions if needed! Hope this helps:

PHARMACEUTICAL ABBREVIATIONS

ABBREVIATION/ MEANING /LATIN

a.c. /Before meals/ Ante cibum
ad.lib. /Freely as wanted /Ad libitu,
aq. /Water /Aqua
b.i.d. /Twice a day /Bis in die
b.i.n. /Twice a night/ Bis in noctus
c with bar on top /With /Cum
cap. /Capsule /Capula
d /Day /Dies
daw /Dispense as written(no generic)
div. /Divide /Divide
eq.pts. /Equal parts /Equalis parties
gtt or gt /Drop /Gutta
h. /Hour /Hora
h.s. (hs) /Bedtime /Hora somni
I.M. /Into the muscle
I.V. /Into the vein
mg /Milligram
ml /Milliliter
no. /Number /Numero
noxt /At night
o. /Pint /Octarius
O.D. /Right eye /Oculo dextro
O.S. /Left eye /Oculo sinistro
O.U. /In each eye /Oculo utro
p.c. /After meals /Post cibum
p.o. /By mouth /Per os
p.r.n. /As needed /Pre re nata
pil /Pill /Pilula
q 1 d /Every day /Quaque 1 die
q 1 w /Once a week
q 3 h /Every 3 hours /Quaque 3 hora
q.i.d. /4 times a day /Quarter in die
q.o.d. /Every other day
q.s. /Sufficient quantity /Quantum sufficiat
qAM/ Every morning
qd /Daily /Quaque die
qh /Every hour /Quaque hora
s /Without Sine
s.i.d. /Once a day /Semel in die
s.l. /Under the tongue
Sig., S. /Write on the label /Signa
stat /Immediately /Statim
tab /Tablet /Tabella
tbsp /Tablespoon
tid /3 times a day /Ter in die
tsp /Teaspoon
ut dict /As directed by doctor