In the context of doctor’s prescriptions, there are several codes and abbreviations that are commonly used by healthcare professionals to convey important information about the medication, its dosage, and administration instructions.
Meanings of common prescription codes uses at medical prescription are listed below:
Rx: An abbreviation of the Latin word “recipe,” meaning “take,” which is commonly used to indicate that a prescription medication is being prescribed.
q: An abbreviation for “every.” For example, q4h means “every 4 hours.”
qD: An abbreviation for “every day.” For example, take one pill qD means “take one pill every day.”
qOD: An abbreviation for “every other day.” For example, take one pill qOD means “take one pill every other day.”
qH: An abbreviation for “every hour.” For example, take one pill qH means “take one pill every hour.”
S: An abbreviation for “without.” For example, take one pill S food means “take one pill without food.”
C: An abbreviation for “with.” For example, take one pill C food means “take one pill with food.”
SOS: An abbreviation for “si opus sit,” which means “if necessary.”
AC: An abbreviation for “ante cibum,” which means “before meals.”
PC: An abbreviation for “post cibum,” which means “after meals.”
AU: An abbreviation for “auris utraque,” which means “both ears.”
OU: An abbreviation for “oculus uterque,” which means “both eyes.”
OD: An abbreviation for “oculus dexter,” which means “right eye.”
QD: An abbreviation for “quaque die,” which means “every day.
QID: An abbreviation for “quater in die,” which means “four times a day.”
BID: An abbreviation for “bis in die,” which means “twice a day.”
TID: An abbreviation for “ter in die,” which means “three times a day.”
Sig: An abbreviation for “signa,” which means “label.” This is followed by directions for use of the medication.
Disp.: An abbreviation for “dispense,” which instructs the pharmacist how many units of the medication to dispense.
BT: An abbreviation for “bedtime.”
BBF: An abbreviation for “before breakfast.”
BD: An abbreviation for “bis in die,” which means “twice a day.”
Tw: An abbreviation for “three times a week.”
QAM: An abbreviation for “every morning.”
QPM: An abbreviation for “every evening.”
Q4H: An abbreviation for “every 4 hours.”
HS: An abbreviation for “hora somni,” which means “at bedtime.”
PRN: An abbreviation for “pro re nata,” which means “as needed.” This indicates that the medication should be taken only when symptoms occur or when necessary.
It’s important to note that some of these codes and abbreviations may have different meanings in different contexts, so it’s always best to clarify with a healthcare professional or refer to the medication’s prescribing information to ensure proper dosing.