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.
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 |
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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. | Vaginally |
| 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 needing both eyes or ears.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is OD and BD in prescription?
What does Rx stand for?
what does hs mean in medical terms?
Conclusion
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