Have you ever looked at a prescription and thought it was written in another language? You’re not alone.
Prescriptions are essential in healthcare, but all those abbreviations and numbers often appear like mysterious codes to many patients. The truth is, it is not as complicated as it looks. Medical prescriptions often use Latin-derived terms and shorthand.
Today, let’s break that mystery and help you understand what’s on that little piece of paper your doctor hands you, because understanding your prescription is crucial for your health and safety.
What is a Prescription?
A prescription is a legal document written by a licensed healthcare provider that instructs a pharmacist on how to prepare and dispense a medication. It also serves as guidance for the patient on how to take it safely and correctly.
Key Parts of a Prescription
1. Patient Information
- Your full name, which ensures the medication is specifically for you. Always double-check this.
- Age or date of birth to avoid any mix-ups.
- Weight ( especially for children) to ensure the dosage is tailored for the child.
2. Prescriber information
This often appears at the top of the document and provides details of the healthcare professional, including the doctor’s name, designation, clinic or hospital name, and the prescriber’s contact details.
3. Date
This shows when the prescription was issued, and it is important as it helps to know how long the prescription is valid.
For example, if your prescription is dated 5th May and the treatment duration for the prescribed medication is two weeks, you cannot use the same prescription to get the medication after two weeks have elapsed from the date the prescription is written.
4. The heart of the matter
i. Medication Name
Could be a brand name (e.g., Panadol) or a generic name (e.g., paracetamol).
ii. Dosage strength
This is the amount of drug in each tablet or liquid dose (e.g 500mg). The dosage is usually in milligrams (mg), micrograms (mcg), grams(g) and millilitres (ml) for liquids.
iii. Form of medication
Prescriptions specify the type of medicine as follows:
- Tab (tablet)
- Cap (capsule)
- Syr (syrup)
- Susp (suspension)
- Gutt (eye drop)
iv. Route of administration
Route (e.g., by mouth, eye drops, etc.)
- PO (by mouth): taken orally
- IM (intramuscular): injected into the muscle.
- IV (intravenous): injected into a vein.
- Subq (subcutaneous): injected under the skin.
- Top (Topical): applied on the skin.
- PR (per rectum): administered rectally.
- SL (sublingual): placed under the tongue to dissolve.
- BE (both eyes), RE (right eye), LE (left eye).
v. Frequency
This indicates how often you should take the medicine.
E.g 1 tablet PO BID X 10 days (Translation: take 1 tablet by mouth twice a day for 10 days).
Common abbreviations used are as follows:
OD – Once a day
BID – Twice a day
TID – Three times a day
QID – Four times a day
PRN – As needed
QHS – At bedtime
MANE – In the morning
NOCTE – At night
Q * H – After * hours
vi. Duration (e.g., for 5 days)
The duration refers to how long you should take the medication.
Example:
“1 tab PO TID x 5 days”
= Take one tablet by mouth, three times a day, for five days.
vii. Quantity
This refers to the total amount of medicine to be dispensed, eg, #30 means the pharmacist should dispense 30 pills only
viii. Refills (Rf)
Indicates if the medicine can be refilled and how many times, without a new order from the doctor. e.g., Rf:1 – means 1 refill is allowed.
5. Additional Instructions (also called Sig, from the Latin “signa”)
- AC – before meals.
- PC – after meals.
- Take with food or on an empty stomach – this affects how the drug is absorbed into the body.
- Drink plenty of water for medications that require increased fluid intake.
- Avoid alcohol – alcohol interacts negatively with some drugs.
- Apply thinly on the affected part – for topical medicines like creams and ointments.
6. Signature/ license verification
- The prescriber’s signature can be either handwritten or electronically done to validate the prescription. The doctor must sign the prescription for it to be valid.
- The license number verifies the prescriber’s credentials and is a mandatory requirement for controlled drugs such as opioids and ADHD drugs.
Pharmacy label
Besides the prescription, your pharmacist will add labels with instructions to help you use the medicine correctly. The label will include
- The name of the medication and the strength.
- How and when to take it.
- Storage instructions. (eg, store in a cool, dry place or refrigerate)
- Possible side effects or precautions (eg, may cause drowsiness)
Always check the label at the pharmacy to make sure it matches what your doctor said.
Patient Tips
- Always ask questions if you’re unsure about anything.
- Never alter your dosage without consulting your doctor.
- Be aware of potential drug interactions if taking several medications.
- Keep your prescriptions and medication boxes in a safe place for future reference.
- Don’t share your prescription medications with others — what works for you may harm someone else.
Final Dose of Clarity
A prescription is a personalised health tool that is not meant to bring confusion. The more you understand it, the safer and more effective your medication use becomes. When in doubt, ask your pharmacist. We’re here to help translate the “doctor’s code” into real care.
Have questions about your prescription? Drop them in the comments or message me directly. Let’s make health make sense.
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