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May 22, 2013
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Prescription Medicine (cont.)

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Making Sense of Abbreviations of Prescription Medications

Once your health care practitioner hands a patient a written prescription, it is likely that the patient will not be able to read it. Doctors and pharmacists speak to each other in shorthand using Latin abbreviations. Here are some of the abbreviations a person may see on their prescription bottle:

ac = before meals
ad lib = at will
ad = right ear
as = left ear
bid = twice a day
cc = cubic centimeters
gtt = drop
hs = at bedtime
mEq = milliequivalents
mg = milligrams
mL = milliliters
od = right eye
os = left eye
pc = after meals
PO = by mouth
prn = as needed
qd = every day
qh = every hour
q4h = every 4 hours
qid = 4 times a day
tid = 3 times a day

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