Sir these are the most commonly used abbreviation FOR

ADMINISTRATION OF MEDICATION
AAA – apply to the affected area

a.c. – take before meals. It comes from the Latin ante cibum

a.d. – right ear. From the Latin auris dextra

a.s. – left ear. From the Latin auris sinistra

a. u. – both ears. From the Latin auris utraque

ad lib – take as much as desired. This comes from the Latin ad libitum, which means “at one’s
pleasure.”

amt – amount

aq – water. From the Latin aqua

ATC- around the clock

bib. – drink. From the Latin bibe

b.i.d. – two times a day. From the Latin bis in die

BP – blood pressure

bucc. – inside the cheek. From the Latin bucca

d. – day. From the Latin dies

DAW – dispense as written

d.c. – discontinue

EOD – every other day

gtt. – drop. From the Latin gutta

h. or hr. or hor. – hour. From the Latin hora

h.s. – at bedtime. From the Latin hora somni, meaning “at the hour of sleep”

inh. – inhalation
liq. – liquid

max. – maximum

min. – minimum

neb. – nebulizer

o.d. – right eye. From the Latin oculus dexter

o.s. – left eye. From the Latin oculus sinister

o.u. – both eyes. From the Latin oculus uterque

oint./ ung. – ointment

p.c. – after meals. From the Latin post cibum

p.o. – by mouth, orally. From the Latin per os

p.r.n. – as needed. From the Latin pro re nata

q – every, per. From the Latin quaque

q12 or q.12h. or q.12° -- every 12 hours. Any number can be used in place of 12 for the desired
time period.

q.a.d. or q.o.d. – every other day. From the Latin quaque alternis die

q.d. – every day. From the Latin quaque die

q.i.d. – four times a day. From the Latin quater in die

qty – quantity

stat. – immediately

t.i.d. – three times a day. From the Latin ter in die

w/f – with food

Sir these are the complete:
Latin Terms and Common Abbreviations
Latin Term Common Abbreviation Translation
A...
ad ad to, up to
ad lib. at pleasure
adde add add (thou)
agita agit shake, stir
alternis horis alt. h. every other hour
ana a.a. or aa of each
ante a. before
ante cibum a.c. before food, before meals
ante meridien a.m. morning
amp. ampule
aqua aq. water
aqua ad aq. ad. water up to
ag. dest; aqua dist. distilled water
auris aur.; a ear
auris dexter a.d. right ear
aurix laevus a.l. left ear
auris sinister a.s. left ear
auris utro a.u. each ear
auristillae aurist ear-drops
a.t.c. around the clock
B...
bis b. twice
bis in die b.i.d. twice a day
brachium brach. the arm
BSA body surface area
C...
capsula caps a capsule
c.c. cubic centimeter
chartulae charts powder papers; divided powders
cibus cib.; c. food
 collunarium collun a nose wash
collutorium collut. a mouthwash
collyrium collyr. an eyewash
compositus comp. compound
congius cong.; C. gallon
cum c or c. with
cum cibus c.c. with food; with meals
D...
dentur d. give (thou); let be given
dentur tales doses d.t.d. give of such doses
dexter d. right
diebus alternis dieb. alt. every other day
dilutus dil. dilute, diluted
disp. dispense
div. divide
DW distilled water
E...
elix. elixir
emulsum emuls. emulsion
et et and
ex modo prescripto e.m.p. in the manner prescribed; as directed
F...
fac, fiat, fiant f.; ft. let it be made; make
f.; fl. fluid
G...
g.; G.; gm. gram
granum gr. grain
guttae gtt. a drop
H...
hora h at the hour of
hora somni h.s. at bedtime
I...
i.m. intramuscular
injectio inj. injection
i.v.; IV intravenous
i.v.p.; IVP intravenous push
IVPB intravenous piggyback
J...
K...

L...
laevus l. left
linimentum lin. liniment
liquor liq. a solution
lot. lotion
M...
minimum min; Mx minim
misce m.; M mix
mcg. microgram
mEq. milliequivalent
mg. milligram
ml. milliliter
N...
nocte n. at night
naristillae narist. nasal drops
nebule neb. a spray
N.F. National Formulary
non repetatur non.rep. do not repeat
NS normal saline
O...
octarius O. pint
oculentum occulent. eye ointment
oculus o. eye
oculus dexter o.d. right eye
oculus laevus o.l. left eye
oculus sinister o.s. left eye
oculus utro o.u. both eyes, each eye
omni mane o.m. every morning
P...
parti affectae applicandus p.a.a. to be applied to affected part
per os p.o. by mouth
post cibum p.c. after meals
p.r. per rectum
pro re nata p.r.n. as needed
pulvis pulv. powder
Q...
quater in die q.i.d. four times a day
quaque q. each, every
quaque die q.d. every day
quaque hora q.h. every hour
quantum sufficiat q.s. a sufficient quantity
quantum sufficiat ad q.s. ad a sufficient quantity to make
R...

S...
secundum artem s.a. according to the art
S.C.; subc; subq subcutaneously
semis ss one-half
signa Sig. write, label
sine s without
si opus sit s.o.s. if necessary
sol. solution
statim stat. immediately
suppositorum supp. suppository
syrupus syr. syrup
T...
tabella tab. tablet
tbsp. tablespoonful
ter in die t.i.d. three times a day
tinc.; tr. tincture
trochiscus troche lozenge
tussis tuss. a cough
U...
ungentum ung. an ointment
ut dictum ut dict.; u.d. as directed
Drug Name Abbreviations
-FU 5-fluorouracil
Al(OH)3 aluminum hydroxide
APAP acetaminophen
ASA aspirin (acetylsalicyclic acid)
AZT zidovudine

C ascorbic acid
Ca calcium
Cl- chloride
CO castor oil

D5W dextrose 5% in water

DA dopamine
DDAVP desmopressin acetate
DES diethylstilbestrol
DIG digoxin

ETOH Ethyl alcohol

F fluorine
Fe iron
FeGluc ferrous gluconate
FeSO4 ferrous sulfate

H2O2 hydrogen peroxide

HCL hydrochloric Acid
HCO3 bicarbonate
HCTZ hydrochlorothiazide

I iodine
INH isoniazid
ISDN isosorbide dinitrate
ISMN Isosorbide mononitrate

K potassium
KCl potassium chloride

LD levodopa
LR Lactated Ringer's solution

Mg magnesium
MgO magnesium oxide
MgSO4 magnesium sulfate
MOM milk of magnesia
MS morphine sulfate
MTX methotrexate
MV multiple vitamin

Na sodium
NaCl sodium chloride
NaHCO3
NO nitrous oxide
NPH Neutral protamine Hagedorn (insulin)
NS normal saline solution (0.9% sodium chloride)
� NS one-half normal saline solution (0.45% sodium chloride)
NTG nitroglycerin

OC oral contraceptive

PABA p-amino benzoic acid

PAS p-aminosalicylic acid
PCN penicillin
PCP phencyclidine
PDN prednisone
PTH parathyroid hormone
PZI protamine zinc

RS Ringer's solution

SS Saline solution
SSKI Saturated solution of potassium iodide

T3 triiodothyroxine, liothyronine
T4 Levothyroxine
TCA Trichloroacetic acid
TCN tetracycline
TMP trimethoprim
TMP/SMX Trimethoprim/ sulfamethoxazole aka cotrimoxazole
TPN total perenteral nutrition

WFI Water for injection

Enteral medications are given orally and pass through the GI tract to be
absorbed into the bloodstream and metabolized by the liver. This
includes oral, naso-gastric, and rectal routes.

Parenteral medications are injected or placed into the body tissues and
do not pass through the liver before entering the bloodstream. This can
include injections, topical and inhalation routes. Generally in pharmacy,
parenteral refers to injection. Topical and inhalation routes are separated
into their own routes of administration.

Injectable drugs are usually in the form of solutions or powders, which

are mixed with a sterile diluent to render an injectable solution.

Inhalation routes of administration are inhaled through the mouth or the

nose and usually act directly on the respiratory system before entering
into the bloodstream. They are often used to treat respiratory diseases,
but gases are inhaled for general anesthesia as well.

Topical dosages are applied to the skin surface or a mucous membrane.

Dosage Form Table:

Enteral Oral Preparations

To form a Tablet the drug is combined with fillers and is then

compressed into a hard pellet. There are various shapes, sizes
and colors of tablets.
Tablets are available in fast acting, slow release, controlled
Tablets
release, enteric coated, film coated, sublingual, chewable and
other formulations. Not all oral Dosage Forms / tablets are
swallowed.
 Sublingual (SL) tablets are placed under the tongue, wafers are
placed on the tongue and BUCCAL tablets are placed between
the cheek and the gum.

To form a Capsule the drug is contained in a cylindrically shaped

Capsules shell, which breaks open and the drug is released. This includes
gelatin capsules.

Caplet A Caplet is an oval-shaped tablet.

Oral Solutions The drug is dissolved completely into a liquid form.

The drug is mixed with, but not completely dissolved into a

Oral
liquid. It needs to be shaken before administration in order to
Suspensions
suspend the drug particles evenly.

Contain a high concentration of sucrose or sugar to sweeten, for

Syrups
ease of use.

Elixirs Elixirs contain between 5% and 40% alcohol.

Tinctures May contain as little as 17% alcohol or as much as 80% alcohol.

An Emulsion is a suspension involving one liquid in a second

Emulsions liquid with which the first will not mix. (oil in water or water in
oil)

Drugs which are in a powder form and are usually dissolved in

Oral powders
juice or water before administration

Lozenge and Lozenges and Troches are meant to be dissolved slowly in the
Troche mouth and generally have a local effect.

Rectal Solid or semi-solid bullet shaped dosage forms. They melt at

Suppositories body temperature, dispersing the medication.

Enemas Drug is suspended in a solution and infused into the rectum.

 A medicated adhesive patch applied directly on the skin to
Transdermal
deliver a specific dosage of a drug. They have systemic effects
patch
and should be rotated to different sites on the body.

Inhaled through the mouth or nose and usually act directly on

the respiratory system before entering into the bloodstream.
Inhalation
They are often used to treat respiratory diseases, but gases are
inhaled for general anesthesia as well.

Parenteral Injectable Preparations

Injected into the dura matter (epidural space) of the spinal

Epidural
cord.

Injected into the vein. This allows for immediate adsorption.

Intravenous Intravenous includes IV push, IV piggyback and IV infusion or
drip.

Intramuscular Injected into the muscle.

Subcutaneous Injected into the fatty layer under the skin.

Intradermal Injected into the top layer of the skin at a slight angle.

Intracardiac Injected into the heart.

Intraocular Injected within the eye.

Intrathecal Injected into the space surrounding the spinal cord.

Intra-articular Injected into the joint.

TOPICAL PREPARATIONS

A dusting powder is a finely divided insoluble powder containing ingredients such as talc, zinc
oxide, or starch. Coarse powders often have a gritty feel, whereas powders containing particles
that are <20 μm in all dimensions have a smooth feel. Some dusting powders absorb moisture,
which discourages bacterial growth. Others are used for their lubricant properties. The use of
dusting powders is indicated on skin folds and contraindicated on wet surfaces, because caking is
likely to result.

A cream is a semisolid emulsion formulated for application to the skin or mucous membranes.
Droplet diameter in topical emulsions generally ranges from 0.1–100 μm. Cream emulsions are
most commonly oil-in-water but may be water-in-oil. The former readily rub into the skin (hence
the term “vanishing” cream) and are removed by licking and washing. By comparison, water-in-
oil emulsions are emollient and cleansing. Water-in-oil emulsions are also less greasy and spread
more readily than ointments, and they soothe inflamed skin as a consequence of the water in the
formulation evaporating.

An ointment is a greasy, semisolid preparation that contains dissolved or dispersed drug. A

range of ointment bases is used, including hydrocarbons, vegetable oils, silicones, absorption
bases consisting of a mixture of hydrocarbons and lanolin, emulsifying bases consisting of a
mixture of hydrocarbons and an emulsifying agent, and water-soluble bases. Ointment bases
influence topical drug bioavailability via two mechanisms. First, their occlusive properties are
responsible for hydrating the stratum corneum, which enhances the flux of drug across the skin.
Second, they affect drug dissolution within the ointment and drug partitioning from the ointment
into the skin. Ointments are effective emollients because of their occlusive nature. They are
indicated for chronic, dry lesions and contraindicated in exudative lesions.

A paste for topical use is a stiff preparation containing a high proportion of finely powdered
solids such as starch, zinc oxide, calcium carbonate, and talc. Pastes are less greasy than
ointments, because much of the fluid hydrocarbon fraction is absorbed onto the solid particles;
they are also less occlusive than ointments. Pastes are indicated for ulcerated lesions.

A gel is a nongreasy, semisolid, aqueous solution. The semisolid properties are due to a polymer
imparting a continuous structure to the hydrophilic liquid. The polymers used include natural
gums such as tragacanth, pectin, and agar; semisynthetic materials such as methylcellulose,
hydroxymethylcellulose, and carboxymethylcellulose; and synthetic polymers such as carbopol.
Medicaments are generally well released from gels, which are easily washed off on account of
their water miscibility.

A solution for topical use is a mixture of two or more components that form a single phase down
to the molecular level. Topical solutions include eye drops, ear drops, and lotions. Eye drops are
sterile liquids that contain a range of drugs, including local anesthetics, antibiotics, anti-
inflammatory agents, and drugs acting on the autonomic nervous system of the eye. They are
instilled onto the eyeball or within the conjunctival sac. Ear drops are solutions of drugs such as
antibiotics, insecticides, or anti-inflammatory agents. The vehicle may be water, glycerol,
propylene glycol, or alcohol/water mixtures. They are applied to the external auditory canal.

A lotion is usually an aqueous solution (or suspension) for application to inflamed, ulcerated
skin. Lotions cool the skin by evaporation of solvents, leaving a film of dry powder. Lotions are
suitable for use on hairy areas and for lesions with minor exudation and ulceration.