A Guide to Pharmacy Abbreviations

Once you have decided to be a Pharmacist you will be reading a lot of prescriptions. All of these prescriptions are not well written and the majority of them use a lot of abbreviations.

abbrevitaions

If you are a student you might be well aware of the abbreviations as they are often asked in exams and terms in Pharmacy schools and colleges.

Later when we step behind the counter to refill these prescriptions we might face a lot of difficulty in understanding what a doctor wants to write for his patient.

All of these abbreviations can be learnt in an easy way but with practice and always double checking with the Pharmacists in charge. For a head start you can refer to the table below.

This can be taken as a beginner’s guide for fresh pharmacy graduates, technicians, and nurses to help them understand proper medicine administration.

Pharmacy Prescription Abbreviations

f you like to add more medical pharmacy abbreviations to this chart feel free to message us on Facebook or Comment on this post.

Abbreviation
Meaning
Notes
aa
of each
Derived from Latin, ana
AAA
apply to affected area
a.c.
before meals
Derived from Latin, ante cibum
a.d.
right ear
Derived from Latin, auris dextra
ad lib.
as much as desired; freely
Derived from Latin, ad libitum (“at one’s
pleasure”)
a.m.
morning; before noon
Derived from Latin, ante meridiem
amp.
ampule
amt.
amount
APAP
acetaminophen
aq.
water
Derived from Latin, aqua
a.s.
left ear
Derived from Latin, auris sinistra
ATC
around the clock
a.u.
both ears
Derived from Latin, auris utraque
bib.
drink
Derived from Latin, bibe
b.i.d.
twice a day
Derived from Latin, bis in die
BP
blood pressure
bucc.
inside cheek
Derived from Latin, bucca
c.
with
Derived from Latin, cum; often written with a bar
above it
cc
cubic centimeter (cm3)
Less commonly used as an abbreviation for cum cibo (“with
food”)
cap.
capsule
cm
centimeter
Also used as an abbreviation for cream
d.
day
Derived from Latin, dies
DAW
dispense as written
d.c.; d/c
discontinue
dil.
dilute
disp.
dispense
div.
divide
dL
deciliter
DR
delayed-release
EC
enteric-coated
EOD
every other day
ER; XR
extended-release
et
and
Derived from Latin, et
f., ft.
make; let it be made
Derived from Latin, fiat
fl.
fluid
FXD
for 10 days
X = Roman numeral for 10
g, gm
gram
gal
gallon
gr.
grain
gtt.
drop
Derived from Latin, gutta
h., hr., hor.
hour
Derived from Latin, hora
HCT; HCTZ
hydrochlorothiazide
h.s.
at bedtime
Derived from Latin, hora somni (“at the hour of
sleep”)
ID
intradermal
IM
intramuscular
IN
intranasal
inf.
infusion
inh.
inhalation
inj.
injection
IR
immediate-release
IU
international unit
IV
intravenous
K
potassium
kg
kilogram
L
liter
lb
pound
Derived from Latin, libra
liq.
liquid
lot.
lotion
m
meter
max.
maximum
mcg; μg
microgram
μ = Greek letter mu
MDP
Medrol Dosepak
Pre-dosed packaging of methylprednisolone (Medrol)
mg
milligram
min.
minimum
mL
milliliter
mm
millimeter
neb.
nebulizer
NSAID
nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug
Drug class that includes ibuprofen (Motrin)
o.d.
right eye
Derived from Latin, oculus dexter
ODT
oral disintegrating tablet
oint.
ointment
o.s.
left eye
Derived from Latin, oculus sinister
OTC
over the counter
o.u.
both eyes
Derived from Latin, oculus uterque
oz
ounce
PA
prior authorization
p.c.
after meals
Derived from Latin, post cibum
p.m.
evening; after noon
Derived from Latin, post meridiem
p.o.
by mouth; orally
Derived from Latin, per os
p.r.
rectally
Derived from Latin, per rectum
p.r.n.
as needed (for)
Derived from Latin, pro re nata
pt
pint
p.v.
vaginally
Derived from Latin, per vaginam
q
every; per
Derived from Latin, quaque
q12; q. 12 h.; q12°
every 12 hours
12 can be substituted with any number
q1-2; q. 1-2 h.; q1-2°
every 1 to 2 hours
1 and 2 can be substituted with any number
q.a.d.; q.o.d.
every other day
Derived from Latin, quaque alternis die
q.a.m.
every morning; every day before noon
Derived from Latin, quaque anti meridiem
q.d.
every day
Derived from Latin, quaque die
q.h.s.
every day at bedtime
Derived from Latin, quaque hora somni
q.i.d.
4 times a day
Dervied from Latin, quater in die
qt
quart
qty.
quantity
q.p.m.
every evening; every day after noon
Derived from Latin, quaque post meridiem
q.s.
a sufficient quantity
Derived from Latin, quantum sufficiat
q.w.
every week
Rx
prescription
Derived from Latin, recipere (‘to take”)
s.
without
Derived from Latin, sine; often written with a bar
above it
SC; SQ; SubQ
subcutaneous
sig.
write; label
Derived from Latin, signa
SL; s.l.
sublingually; under the tongue
SOB
shortness of breath
sol.
solution
SSRI
selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor
Drug class that includes escitalopram (Lexapro) and fluoxetine
(Prozac)
stat.
immediately
Derived from Latin, statim
supp.
suppository
susp.
suspension
syr.
syrup
tab.
tablet
TAD
take as directed
tbsp
tablespoon
t.i.d.
3 times a day
Derived from Latin, ter in die
top.
topical
troch.
lozenge
Derived from Latin, trochiscus
tsp
teaspoon
U
unit
u.d., ut. dict.
as directed
Derived from Latin, ut dictum
ung.
ointment
Derived from Latin, unguentum
w.
with
w/f
with food; with meals
w/o
without

I