List of abbreviations used in medical prescriptions
This is a list of abbreviations used in medical prescriptions. Its listing here does not mean such abbreviations should be used. See main article for discussion on the use of abbreviations. This listing does not include abbreviations for actual pharmaceuticals (which is a separate article in itself). Capitalization and the use of a period is a matter of style. In the attached list, Latin is not capitalized whereas English acronyms are. The period is used wherever there are letters omitted in the abbreviation.
Partial list of prescription abbreviations
| Abbreviation
| Latin
| Meaning
|
| aa
| ana
| of each
|
| ad
| ad
| up to
|
| a.c.
| ante cibum
| before meals
|
| a.d.
| aurio dextra
| right ear
|
| ad lib.
| ad libitum
| use as much as one desires; freely
|
| admov.
| admove
| apply
|
| agit
| agita
| stir/shake
|
| alt. h.
| alternis horis
| every other hour
|
| a.m.
| ante meridiem
| morning, before noon
|
| amp
|
| ampule
|
| amt
|
| amount
|
| aq
| aqua
| water
|
| a.l., a.s.
| aurio laeva, aurio sinister
| left ear
|
| A.T.C.
|
| around the clock
|
| a.u.
| auris utrae
| both ears
|
| bis
| bis
| twice
|
| b.i.d.
| bis in die
| twice daily
|
| B.M.
|
| bowel movement
|
| bol.
| bolus
| as a large single dose (usually intravenously)
|
| B.S.
|
| blood sugar
|
| B.S.A
|
| body surface areas
|
| BUCC
|
| inside cheek
|
| cap., caps.
| capsula
| capsule
|
| c
| cum
| with (usually written with a bar on top of the "c")
|
| c
| cibos
| food
|
| cc
| cum cibos
| with food, (but also cubic centimetre)
|
| cf
|
| with food
|
| comp.
|
| compound
|
| cr., crm
|
| cream
|
| D5W
|
| dextrose 5% solution (sometimes written as D5W)
|
| D5NS
|
| dextrose 5% in normal saline (0.9%)
|
| D.A.W.
|
| dispense as written
|
| dc, D/C, disc
|
| discontinue
|
| dieb. alt.
| diebus alternis
| every other day
|
| dil.
|
| dilute
|
| disp.
|
| dispense
|
| div.
|
| divide
|
| d.t.d.
| dentur tales doses
| give of such doses
|
| D.W.
|
| distilled water
|
| elix.
|
| elixir
|
| e.m.p.
| ex modo prescripto
| as directed
|
| emuls.
| emulsum
| emulsion
|
| et
| et
| and
|
| ex aq
| ex aqua
| in water
|
| fl., fld.
|
| fluid
|
| ft.
| fiat
| make; let it be made
|
| g
|
| gram
|
| gr
|
| grain
|
| gtt(s)
| gutta(e)
| drop(s)
|
| H
|
| hypodermic
|
| h, hr
| hora
| hour
|
| h.s.
| hora somni
| at bedtime
|
| ID
|
| intradermal
|
| IM
|
| intramuscular (with respect to injections)
|
| inj.
| injectio
| injection
|
| IP
|
| intraperitoneal
|
| IV
|
| intravenous
|
| IVP
|
| intravenous push
|
| IVPB
|
| intravenous piggyback
|
| L.A.S.
|
| label as such
|
| LCD
|
| coal tar solution
|
| lin
| linimentum
| liniment
|
| liq
| liquor
| solution
|
| lot.
|
| lotion
|
| M.
| misce
| mix
|
| m, min
| minimum
| a minimum
|
| mcg
|
| microgram
|
| mEq
|
| milliequivalent
|
| mg
|
| milligram
|
| mist.
| mistura
| mix
|
| mitte
| mitte
| send
|
| mL
|
| millilitre
|
| nebul
| nebula
| a spray
|
| N.M.T.
|
| not more than
|
| noct.
| nocte
| at night
|
| non rep.
| non repetatur
| no repeats
|
| NS
|
| normal saline (0.9%)
|
| 1/2NS
|
| half normal saline (0.45%)
|
| N.T.E.
|
| not to exceed
|
| o_2
|
| both eyes, sometimes written as o2
|
| o.d.
| oculus dexter
| right eye
|
| o.s.
| oculus sinister
| left eye
|
| o.u.
| oculus uterque
| both eyes
|
| oz
|
| ounce
|
| per
| per
| by or through
|
| p.c.
| post cibum
| after meals
|
| p.m.
| post meridiem
| evening or afternoon
|
| prn
| pro re nata
| as needed
|
| p.o.
| per os
| by mouth or orally
|
| p.r.
|
| by rectum
|
| pulv.
| pulvis
| powder
|
| q
| quaque
| every
|
| q.a.d.
| quoque alternis die
| every other day
|
| q.a.m.
| quaque die ante meridiem
| every day before noon
|
| q.p.m.
|
| every day after noon
|
| q.h.
| quaque hora
| every hour
|
| q.h.s.
| quaque hora somni
| every night at bedtime
|
| q.1h
| quaque 1 hora
| every 1 hour; (can replace "1" with other numbers)
|
| q.d.
| quaque die
| every day
|
| q.i.d.
| quater in die
| four times a day
|
| q.o.d.
|
| every other day
|
| qqh
| quater quaque hora
| every four hours
|
| q.s.
| quantum sufficiat
| a sufficient quantity
|
| QWK
|
| every week
|
| R
|
| rectal
|
| rep., rept.
| repetatur
| repeats
|
| RL, R/L
|
| Ringer's lactate
|
| s
| sine
| without (usually written with a bar on top of the "s")
|
| s.a.
| secundum artum
| use your judgement
|
| SC, subc, subcut, subq, SQ
|
| subcutaneous
|
| sig
|
| write on label
|
| SL
|
| sublingually, under the tongue
|
| sol
| solutio
| solution
|
| s.o.s., si op. sit
| si opus sit
| if there is a need
|
| ss
| semis
| one half
|
| stat
| statim
| immediately
|
| supp
| suppositorium
| suppository
|
| susp
|
| suspension
|
| syr
| syrupus
| syrup
|
| tab
| tabella
| tablet
|
| tal., t
| talus
| such
|
| tbsp
|
| tablespoon
|
| troche
| trochiscus
| lozenge
|
| tsp
|
| teaspoon
|
| t.i.d.
| ter in die
| three times a day
|
| t.d.s.
| ter die sumendum
| three times a day
|
| t.i.w.
|
| three times a week
|
| top.
|
| topical
|
| T.P.N.
|
| total parenteral nutrition
|
| tr, tinc., tinct.
|
| tincture
|
| u.d., ut. dict.
| ut dictum
| as directed
|
| ung.
| unguentum
| ointment
|
| U.S.P.
|
| United States Pharmacopoeia
|
| vag
|
| vaginally
|
| w
|
| with
|
| w/o
|
| without
|
| X
|
| times
|
| Y.O.
|
| years old
|
Additional recommended knowledge
To avoid ambiguity, the following abbreviations are not recommended [1]:
- a.u., a.s., a.d. - Latin for both, left and right ears; the "a" can be misread to be an "o" and interpreted to mean both, right or left eyes
- d/c - can mean "discontinue" or "discharge"
- h.s. - can mean half strength or "hour of sleep"
- q.d. - meant "every day" but the "." after the "q" is interpreted to be an "i" thus "q.i.d." or quadrupling the dose to 4 times a day
- q.o.d. - meant "every other day" but the "o" can be interpreted as "." or "i" resulting in double or eight times the frequency
- SC/SQ - meant "subcutaneaous" but mistaken for "SL" for "sublingual"
- T.I.W - meant 3 times a week but mistaken for twice a week
- U - meant "units" but mistaken for "0", "4" or "cc" when poorly written; conversely cc can be mistaken for "U"
- μg - meant "microgram" but mistaken for "mg"; this 1000-fold error can cause potentially fatal misunderstandings
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