Prescription Abbreviations are often known as Sig Codes which are very important for a Pharmacist to remember. Doctors or Medical Practitioners use these abbreviations or sig codes in the prescription. Nowadays most Doctors use electronic prescriptions so the uses of these abbreviations are reduced highly. But it is very important for the Pharmacy school students or pharmacy technicians or pharmacists to learn and remember these codes as they are a Very Important part of the Pharmacy study. In this post, we have shared a master list of these abbreviations so it could help you a lot. We have also shared important books and important study notes you should also check them out.
Table of Contents
List of All Prescription Abbreviations or Sig Codes
There are more than 120+ abbreviations are used while a prescription is being written, some of them are used very commonly and some of them are used very rarely. We here made the list of all the abbreviations that are used while writing a prescription. All abbreviations are classified into different categories like Drug Dosage Form, Measurement, Route of Administration and Time so you can find them accordingly.
Prescription Abbreviations or Sig Codes used for Drug Dosage Form
| Abbreviations | Meaning | Latin Term |
|---|---|---|
| aq, aqua | Water | |
| caps | Capsules | |
| cm | Cream | |
| elix | Elixirs | |
| Liq | Liquid | |
| SR, XR, XL | Slow or Extend Release | |
| supp | Suppositories | |
| syr | Syrups | |
| tab | Tablets | |
| susp | suspension | suspensio |
| ung., oint. | Ointments | |
| pulv | Powder | pulvis |
| pil | Pills | pilula |
| past | Paste | pasta |
| neb | Nasal Spray | nebula |
| narist | Nasal Drop | naristillae |
You May Also Like:
- What is a Prescription
- Pharmacy Student Survival Guide PDF
Prescription Abbreviation or Sig Codes used for Route of Administration
| Abbreviation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| a.d. | Right ear |
| a.s., a.l. | Left ear |
| a.u. | Each ear |
| i.m., IM | Intramuscular |
| i.v., IV | Intravenous |
| i.v.p., IVP | Intravenous push |
| inj. | Injection |
| IVPB | Intravenous piggyback |
| o.d. | Right eye |
| o.s., o.l. | Left eye |
| o.u. | Each eye |
| p.o. | By mouth |
| p.r. | Rectally |
| p.v. | vagin*lly |
| per neb | By nebulizer |
| S.L. | Sublingually, under the tongue |
| SC, subc, subq | Subcutaneously |
| top. | Topically |
Prescription Abbreviation or Sig Codes used for Time
| Abbreviation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| a.c. | Before food, before meals |
| a.m. | Morning |
| b.i.d., bid, bd | Twice a day |
| h | Hour, at the hour of |
| h.s. | At bedtime |
| p.c. | After food, after meals |
| p.m. | Afternoon, evening |
| p.r.n., prn | As needed |
| q | each, every |
| q.d. | Every day |
| q.h | Every hour |
| q.i.d., qid | Four times a day |
| qod | Every other day |
| Stat. | Immediately |
| t.i.d., tid, tds | Three times a day |
| ieb. alt. | every other day, on alternate days |
| noct. | at night |
| omn. bih. | every 2 hours |
| omn. hor. | every hour |
| q.i.d. | 4 times a day |
Prescription Abbreviation or Sig Codes used for Measurement
| Abbreviation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| tsp. | Teaspoon |
| tbsp. | Tablespoon |
 or ss | one-half |
 | one |
| a.a., aa | of each |
| ad | to, up to |
| aq. ad | add water up to |
| dil. | dilute |
| div. | divide |
| f, fl. | Fluid |
| fl. oz. | Fluid ounce |
| g., G., gm. | Gram |
| gtt. | Drop |
| l, L | Liter/Litre |
| mcg. | Microgram |
| mEq | milliequivalent |
| mg. | Milligram |
| ml., mL | Milliliter/Millilitre |
| q.s. | A sufficient quantity |
| q.s. ad | Add sufficient quantity to make |
Prescription Abbreviation or Sig Codes used for Numbers
| Roman | English | Latin |
|---|---|---|
| I | one | Unus |
| II | two | Duo |
| III | three | Tres |
| IV | four | Quatuor |
| V | five | Quinque |
| VI | six | |
| VII | seven | septem |
| VIII | eight | octe |
| IX | nine | novem |
| X | ten | decem |
| XI | eleven | undecem |
| XV | fifteen | quindecim |
| XX | twenty | viginti |
| L | fifty | quinguaginta |
| C | one hunderd | centum |
Other Prescription Abbreviation or Sig Codes
| Abbreviation | Meaning |
|---|---|
 | without |
| c | With |
| disp. | Dispense |
| f, ft. | Make, Let it be made |
| NR | No refill |
| sig. | Label, write |
| ut dict., u.d. | As directed |
| s.o.s | when needed |
| NMT | not more than |
| da | give |
| D5W, DEW | dextrose 5% in water (intravenous sugar solution) |
| D5NS | dextrose 5% in normal saline (0.9%) (intravenous sugаr solution) |
| D5LR | dextrose 5% in lactated Ringer’s solution(intravenous sugаr solution) |
| D10W, D10W | dextrose 10% in water intravenous sugar solution) |
| cochl | spoonful |
| C.V. | tomorrow evening |
| c.n. | tomorrow night |
| c.m. | tomorrow morning |
| c.C. | with food [or]cubic centimetre |
| AAA | apply to affected area |
Tips to remember Prescription Abbreviation or Sig Codes
Remembering these sig codes is a very confusing thing, so here we share a small tip which can solve your confusion.
When you see O remeber this is an eye which is also round.
When you see A remember this is Eyer because audio which we hear via our eyers is also conatins A.
When you see U remember this is as a face needingbotheyes or ears.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is OD and BD in prescription?
OD and BD are the short form Latin words Omni die and bis in die. The meaning of OD in English is Once Daily and BD mean twice daily.
What does Rx stand for?
Rx is a Latin term which means thou take or you take in English. In ancient times it is believed to be the sign of God Jupiter who is known as God of Healing. By writing Rx in the prescription the prescription writer prays to God for the fast recovery of the patient. The part in the prescription where Rx is written is known as Superscription of a prescription.
what does hs mean in medical terms?
The full form of HS is “Hora Somni”. Hora Somni is a Latin word that means every bedtime in English. HS is written in the Prescription for the medication that we have to before going to bed.
Conclusion
If you also want to submit your notes to help students you can contact us for submitting your notes. To contact usclick here. If you find this postMaster List of Prescription Abbreviations (Sig Codes)helpful then share it with your friends also.
Download our android appclick here. You can find the latest versions of many pdf books, the latest collection of university question papers, MCQ Quiz test, and update via notifications. Our app is completely ad-free and no need to register in our app to use it. Why waiting to download it now from Google Play Store.
