See If You Still Remember What These Prescription Abbreviations Mean
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Question 1
What Does The Abbreviation 'Rx' On A Prescription Mean?
Question 1
What Does 'Prn' On A Prescription Label Mean?
Question 1
Which Abbreviation Tells You To Take Medicine Twice Daily?
Question 1
What Does 'AC' Mean On A Prescription Instruction?
Question 1
What Does The Label 'NPO' Mean Before A Medical Procedure?
Question 1
What Does 'QID' On Your Prescription Label Mean?
Question 1
What Does 'NKDA' Mean On A Patient's Medical Chart?
Question 1
What Does 'SL' On A Prescription Instruction Tell You?
Question 1
What Does 'HS' Mean On A Prescription Bottle?
Question 1
What Does 'PC' On A Prescription Instruction Mean?
Question 1
What Does 'QD' On A Prescription Label Mean?
Question 1
Which Abbreviation Tells You To Take Medicine Every Eight Hours?
Question 1
What Does 'TID' On A Prescription Bottle Tell You?
Question 1
What Does 'GTT' Mean On A Liquid Prescription Label?
Question 1
Which Abbreviation On A Prescription Means 'By Mouth'?
Question 1
What Does 'SOB' Mean In A Doctor's Medical Notes?
Question 1
Which Of These Means The Same As The Abbreviation 'Stat'?
Question 1
What Does 'DAW' On A Prescription Mean For Your Pharmacist?
Question 1
What Does 'ON' On A Prescription Instruction Tell You?
Question 1
What Does 'NKA' Mean On A Patient's Medical Chart?
Question 1
What Does 'QHS' On A Prescription Label Mean?
Question 1
Which Abbreviation Means 'Both Eyes' On An Eye Drop Prescription?
Question 1
What Does 'Sig' Mean On A Written Prescription?
Question 1
What Is Someone Doing If They Follow A 'Q4H' Schedule?
Question 1
Which Abbreviation On A Prescription Means 'As Directed'?
Question 1
What Does 'Disp' Tell A Pharmacist On A Prescription?
Question 1
What Does 'NR' Written On A Prescription Bottle Mean?
Question 1
Which Of These Means The Same As The Abbreviation 'SS'?
Question 1
What Does 'Cap' Mean On A Prescription Drug Label?
Question 1
What Does 'Ung' On A Prescription Tube Tell You?
Question 1
What Does 'Tab' Mean On A Prescription Drug Label?
Question 1
Which Abbreviation Means 'Left Eye' On An Eye Drop Prescription?
Question 1
What Does 'Susp' On A Prescription Bottle Tell You?
Question 1
What Does 'Elix' On A Prescription Label Mean?
Question 1
Which Abbreviation On A Prescription Means 'Right Eye'?
Question 1
What Does 'IM' Tell A Nurse On A Prescription Order?
Question 1
What Is Someone Doing If They Follow An 'SC' Injection Order?
Question 1
What Does 'IV' On A Hospital Medication Order Mean?
Question 1
What Does 'Crm' On A Prescription Tube Tell You About The Medicine?
Question 1
What Does 'Lot' On A Prescription Tube Or Bottle Mean?
Question 1
Which Abbreviation Tells A Pharmacist To Label Medicine 'For External Use Only'?
Question 1
What Does 'SOD' Mean On A Compounding Pharmacy Prescription?
Question 1
What Does 'Ophth' On A Prescription Bottle Tell You?
Question 1
Which Abbreviation On A Prescription Means 'Both Ears'?
Question 1
What Does 'NTE' Mean On A Prescription Or Medication Order?
Question 1
What Is Someone Doing If They Follow A 'Q12H' Prescription Schedule?
Question 1
What Does 'Mane' On An Old Handwritten Prescription Instruction Mean?
Question 1
What Does 'Mitte' Tell A Pharmacist On A Handwritten Prescription?
Question 1
What Does 'Otic' On A Prescription Bottle Tell You?
Question 1
Which Abbreviation Means 'Left Ear' On A Prescription?
Question 1
What Does 'Noct' On A Prescription Instruction Mean?
Question 1
What Does 'Amp' Mean On A Hospital Drug Order?
Question 1
Which Abbreviation On A Prescription Means 'Right Ear'?
Question 1
What Is Someone Doing If They Follow A 'TIW' Schedule?
Question 1
What Does 'Pulv' On An Old Handwritten Prescription Mean?
Question 1
What Does 'Liq' On A Prescription Label Tell You About The Medicine?
Question 1
What Does 'Garg' On An Old Prescription Instruction Mean?
Question 1
What Does 'Aq' Mean On A Compounding Pharmacy Prescription?
1
Refill Allowed
2
Prescription Required
3
Restricted Drug
4
Take This Medicine
Rx comes from the Latin word 'recipe,' meaning 'take,' and doctors have used it since medieval times.
1
Before Meals
2
Every Morning
3
At Bedtime
4
As Needed
PRN comes from the Latin 'pro re nata,' meaning 'as the situation demands,' used for pain or nausea medications.
1
QID
2
BID
3
TID
4
QD
BID stands for the Latin 'bis in die,' and pharmacists still use these Latin codes on labels worldwide today.
1
On Empty Stomach
2
With Food
3
Before Meals
4
After Meals
AC is short for the Latin 'ante cibum,' meaning before food, because some medications absorb better on an empty stomach.
1
Normal Pulse Only
2
No Pain Observed
3
Nothing By Mouth
4
Not Previously Ordered
NPO comes from the Latin 'nil per os' and is used before surgery because anesthesia can be dangerous on a full stomach.
1
Every Other Day
2
Three Times Daily
3
Four Times Daily
4
Twice Daily
QID stands for 'quater in die' in Latin, and medications dosed four times daily are typically spaced every six hours.
1
No Known Drug Allergies
2
Normal Kidney And Digestive Assessment
3
Not Currently Drug Administered
4
No Known Diagnoses Available
NKDA is more specific than NKA and alerts nurses before giving any new medication to a patient.
1
Skip Last Dose
2
Swallow Liquid
3
Slowly Dissolve
4
Under The Tongue
SL means sublingual, and nitroglycerin for chest pain is the most famous example of a medication taken this way.
1
Every Hour
2
High Strength
3
At Bedtime
4
Hold Swallowing
HS comes from the Latin 'hora somni,' meaning hour of sleep, and sleep aids or certain blood pressure pills are often dosed this way.
1
After Meals
2
Before Meals
3
Twice Weekly
4
With Water
PC stands for the Latin 'post cibum,' meaning after food, and many stomach-irritating medications like ibuprofen carry this instruction.
1
Every Other Day
2
Twice Daily
3
Four Times Daily
4
Once Daily
QD comes from the Latin 'quaque die,' meaning every day, and doctors use it to mean one dose per day.
1
Q6H
2
Q8H
3
Q4H
4
QID
The Q in Q8H stands for 'quaque,' Latin for 'every,' so Q8H literally means every eight hours.
1
Three Times Daily
2
Four Times Daily
3
Once Daily
4
Twice Daily
TID is short for the Latin 'ter in die,' and pharmacists have used this abbreviation for centuries.
1
Teaspoons
2
Tablets
3
Drops
4
Capsules
GTT comes from the Latin word 'gutta' meaning drop, and it is commonly used for eye and ear medications.
1
PO
2
PR
3
IM
4
SL
PO stands for the Latin 'per os,' and it simply means the medication should be swallowed rather than given another way.
1
Sudden Onset Bleeding
2
Shortness Of Breath
3
Swelling Or Bruising
4
Side Of Body
Shortness of breath is one of the most common symptoms doctors document, and SOB appears in millions of patient charts daily.
1
Immediately
2
At Bedtime
3
As Needed
4
Before Meals
Stat comes from the Latin 'statim' meaning at once, and it signals medical staff to act without any delay.
1
Drug As Advised
2
Dose As Warned
3
Dispense As Written
4
Daily As Wanted
DAW tells the pharmacist not to substitute a generic brand, and it is written by doctors who want the exact name-brand drug dispensed.
1
Take It In The Morning
2
Take It With Food
3
Take It Once A Week
4
Take It Every Night
ON stands for 'omni nocte' meaning every night in Latin and appears on prescriptions for nightly medications.
1
Normal Lab Results
2
New Kidney Assessment
3
No Known Allergies
4
Not Currently Active
NKA is one of the first things a nurse checks on a chart before giving any medication, making it one of the most important abbreviations in medicine.
1
Every Four Hours
2
Every Other Night
3
Every Morning
4
Every Night At Bedtime
QHS combines 'quaque' (every) with 'hora somni' (hour of sleep), making it more specific than HS alone.
1
OU
2
OC
3
OD
4
OS
OU comes from the Latin 'oculus uterque,' meaning each eye — OD means right eye and OS means left.
1
Refills Allowed
2
Patient Instructions
3
Prescriber Signature
4
Drug Strength
Sig is short for the Latin 'signa,' meaning 'write' — it tells the pharmacist exactly what to print on your label.
1
Dosing Four Times Daily
2
Dosing On Four Days
3
Dosing Every Forty Minutes
4
Dosing Every Four Hours
Q4H means six doses in 24 hours — doctors prefer this over QID when consistent blood levels truly matter.
1
UD
2
DAW
3
NR
4
PRN
UD stands for 'ut dictum' in Latin, meaning 'as said' — pharmacists write it when instructions are too complex for a standard label.
1
Which Brand To Use
2
How Strong The Dose Is
3
How Many To Give You
4
When To Refill It
Disp is short for 'dispense' and tells the pharmacist the exact quantity — like 'Disp: 30 tablets' for a one-month supply.
1
New Rx Needed
2
Not Required
3
No Refills
4
Normal Range
NR means your doctor must write a brand-new prescription — controlled substances like opioids almost always carry this restriction.
1
One Quarter
2
Double Strength
3
One Third
4
One Half
SS comes from the Latin 'semis' meaning half — you might see it written as 'ss' after a dose number, like '1 ss tablets.'
1
Caplet
2
Coated Aspirin Pill
3
Capsule
4
Controlled Amount Per Day
Cap specifically means a gelatin shell filled with powder or liquid — unlike a tablet, which is compressed solid ingredients.
1
It Is A Liquid
2
It Is An Ointment
3
It Is A Cream
4
It Is A Gel
Ung is short for the Latin 'unguentum' meaning ointment — ointments are oilier than creams and absorb more slowly into skin.
1
Tablet
2
Capsule
3
Solution
4
Suppository
Tab is short for tablet, a solid compressed dose — distinct from a capsule, which has a gelatin shell enclosing powder or liquid.
1
OS
2
OU
3
OD
4
OP
OS comes from the Latin 'oculus sinister,' meaning left eye — OD means right eye and OU means both eyes.
1
It Is A Tablet
2
It Is A Patch
3
It Is A Liquid
4
It Is A Powder
Susp is short for suspension, a liquid form where particles are mixed throughout — these bottles always say 'shake well before use.'
1
External Use Only
2
Enteric Coated
3
Alcohol-Based Liquid
4
Extended Release
Elix is short for elixir, a sweetened liquid medicine that uses alcohol as a base — a formula dating back to medieval Arabic pharmacy.
1
OR
2
OU
3
OD
4
OS
OD stands for 'oculus dexter,' Latin for right eye — the same abbreviation optometrists use on your eyeglass prescription.
1
Inhale Medication
2
Increase Medication
3
Apply Internally
4
Inject Into Muscle
IM means intramuscular injection — vaccines like flu shots are commonly given IM, usually into the upper arm or thigh.
1
Applying To The Spine
2
Injecting Under The Skin
3
Injecting Into A Muscle
4
Injecting Into A Vein
SC means subcutaneous — injected just beneath the skin into fatty tissue, exactly how insulin is typically self-administered by diabetics.
1
Into A Muscle
2
Under The Tongue
3
Into A Vein
4
Under The Skin
IV stands for intravenous, meaning directly into a vein — this route delivers medicine to the bloodstream faster than any other method.
1
It Is A Gel
2
It Is An Ointment
3
It Is A Lotion
4
It Is A Cream
Crm is the standard abbreviation for cream — lighter and less greasy than an ointment because it contains more water.
1
It Is An Ointment
2
It Is A Solution
3
It Is A Lotion
4
It Is A Gel
Lot is the abbreviation for lotion, a water-based topical preparation — lighter than an ointment and designed to absorb quickly into the skin.
1
APL
2
TOP
3
EXT
4
LOC
EXT flags medicines like creams and rinses that should never be swallowed, helping pharmacists add the bright auxiliary warning label automatically.
1
Sublingual Or Drops
2
Standard Order Dispensed
3
Sodium
4
Solution Dose
Compounding pharmacists abbreviate sodium as SOD when listing ingredients, since sodium is a key component in many custom-mixed medications and IV solutions.
1
For The Nose
2
For The Eyes
3
For The Throat
4
For The Ears
Ophth is short for ophthalmic, from the Greek word for eye, and signals that the formulation is sterile and safe for direct eye contact.
1
AO
2
AU
3
AD
4
AS
AU stands for 'auris utraque' in Latin, meaning both ears — the same root gives us the word 'auditory,' and AS means left ear while AD means right ear.
1
Not To Exceed
2
No Tablet Extension
3
Night Time Entry
4
Notify The Employer
NTE sets a hard ceiling on a dose — for example, 'NTE 4 tablets daily' protects patients from accidentally taking a dangerous amount of pain relievers like acetaminophen.
1
Dosing Once At Night
2
Dosing Every Twelve Hours
3
Dosing Twice A Week
4
Dosing Every Four Hours
Q12H means every 12 hours keeping drug levels steady — many blood pressure medications use this twice-daily schedule.
1
At Bedtime
2
Every Other Day
3
With Meals
4
In The Morning
Mane is Latin for morning and appeared on handwritten prescriptions to specify a dose taken at the start of day.
1
How Often To Refill
2
When To Call The Doctor
3
How Many To Dispense
4
Which Brand To Use
Mitte is Latin for 'send' and was used by physicians for centuries to tell the pharmacist the exact quantity to hand over — older doctors still write it today.
1
For The Skin
2
For The Nose
3
For The Eyes
4
For The Ears
Otic comes from the Greek word 'otikos' meaning of the ear — the same root appears in otolaryngologist, the ear, nose, and throat specialist you may have visited.
1
OS
2
AU
3
AD
4
AS
AS stands for 'auris sinistra,' Latin for left ear — AD means right ear and AU means both ears.
1
Before Meals
2
At Night
3
With Water
4
As Needed
Noct is short for the Latin 'nocte,' meaning night — doctors use it to indicate a dose taken only after dark.
1
Ampule
2
Amount
3
Ampicillin
4
Applied
An ampule is a small sealed glass vial holding a single sterile dose — the word comes from the Latin 'ampulla,' a flask.
1
OD
2
AU
3
AS
4
AD
AD stands for 'auris dextra,' Latin for right ear — the FDA flagged these ear abbreviations as error-prone because they look so similar.
1
Dosing Three Times Weekly
2
Dosing Every Third Day
3
Dosing Three Times Daily
4
Dosing Twice Weekly
TIW means 'three times a week' and is considered so confusing that the Institute for Safe Medication Practices recommends never using it.
1
Pill
2
Powder
3
Solution
4
Capsule
Pulv is short for the Latin 'pulvis,' meaning powder — apothecaries used this abbreviation for centuries before capsules were invented.
1
It Is A Liquid
2
It Is A Lozenge
3
It Is A Powder
4
It Is A Gel
Liq is short for the Latin 'liquor' meaning liquid and tells the pharmacist the medicine is in fluid form.
1
Gargle
2
Apply Gently
3
Gel Formula
4
Granules
Garg is an old Latin-derived abbreviation for gargle — throat rinse prescriptions from the 1800s commonly used this shorthand.
1
Alcohol
2
Quantity
3
Water
4
Aqueous Gel
Aq comes from the Latin 'aqua,' meaning water — compounding pharmacists use it to specify that a medicine should be mixed with purified water.
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Think you can decode the secret language your doctor scribbles on prescriptions? These cryptic abbreviations hold more power than you might realize — and most people haven't got a clue what they mean. Time to find out if you're the exception!
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