prescription
Also found in: Dictionary, Thesaurus, Legal, Financial, Acronyms, Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.
Related to prescription: prescription abbreviations
prescription
[pre-skrip´shun]a written directive, as for the compounding or dispensing and administration of drugs, or for other service to a particular patient.
Federal law divides medicines into two main classes: prescription medicines and over-the-counter medicines. Dangerous, powerful, or habit-forming medicines to be used under a health care provider's supervision can be sold only by prescription. The prescription must be written by a physician, dentist, or advanced practice nurse; otherwise the pharmacist is forbidden to prepare and fill it.
There are four parts to a drug prescription. The first is the superscription, the symbol ℞ from the Latin recipe, meaning “take.” The second part is the inscription, specifying the ingredients and their quantities. The third part is the subscription, which tells the pharmacist how to compound the medicine. The fourth and last part is the signature; it is usually preceded by an S to represent the Latin signa, meaning “mark.” The signature is where the health care provider indicates what instructions are to be put on the outside of the package to tell the patient when and how to take the medicine and in what quantities. The pharmacist keeps a file of all the prescriptions filled.
Federal law divides medicines into two main classes: prescription medicines and over-the-counter medicines. Dangerous, powerful, or habit-forming medicines to be used under a health care provider's supervision can be sold only by prescription. The prescription must be written by a physician, dentist, or advanced practice nurse; otherwise the pharmacist is forbidden to prepare and fill it.
There are four parts to a drug prescription. The first is the superscription, the symbol ℞ from the Latin recipe, meaning “take.” The second part is the inscription, specifying the ingredients and their quantities. The third part is the subscription, which tells the pharmacist how to compound the medicine. The fourth and last part is the signature; it is usually preceded by an S to represent the Latin signa, meaning “mark.” The signature is where the health care provider indicates what instructions are to be put on the outside of the package to tell the patient when and how to take the medicine and in what quantities. The pharmacist keeps a file of all the prescriptions filled.
Miller-Keane Encyclopedia and Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing, and Allied Health, Seventh Edition. © 2003 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved.
pre·scrip·tion
(prē-skrip'shŭn),1. A written formula for the preparation and administration of any remedy.
2. A medicinal preparation compounded according to formulated directions, said to consist of four parts: 1) superscription, consisting of the word recipe, take, or its sign, Rx; 2) inscription, the main part of the prescription, containing the names and amounts of the drugs ordered; 3) subscription, directions for mixing the ingredients and designation of the form (pill, powder, solution, etc.) in which the drug is to be made, usually beginning with the word, misce, mix, or its abbreviation, M.; 4) signature, directions to the patient regarding the dose and times of taking the remedy, preceded by the word signa, designate, or its abbreviation, S. or Sig.
[L. praescriptio; see prescribe]
Farlex Partner Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
prescription
(prĭ-skrĭp′shən)n.
a. A written order, especially by a physician, for the preparation and administration of a medicine or other treatment.
b. A prescribed medicine or other treatment: Have you used up all of your prescription?
c. An ophthalmologist's or optometrist's written instruction, as for the grinding of corrective lenses.
The American Heritage® Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2007, 2004 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
prescription
Pharmacology An order for drugs or medical supplies, written, signed or transmitted by word of mouth, telephone, or other means of communication to a pharmacist by a duly licensed physician, dentist, veterinarian or other practitioner, authorized by law to prescribe and administer such drugs or medical supplies. See Frontier prescription, Prescription.McGraw-Hill Concise Dictionary of Modern Medicine. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
pre·scrip·tion
(prĕ-skrip'shŭn)1. A written formula for the preparation and administration of any remedy, consisting of four parts: 1) superscription, consisting of the word recipe, take, or its sign, Rx; 2) inscription, the main part of the prescription, containing the names and amounts of the drugs ordered; 3) subscription, directions for mixing the ingredients and designation of the form (pill, powder, solution) in which the drug is to be made; 4) signature, directions to the patient regarding the dose and times of taking the remedy.
2. A medicinal preparation compounded according to formulated directions.
See: prescribe
See: prescribe
Medical Dictionary for the Health Professions and Nursing © Farlex 2012
prescription
An instruction to a pharmacist, written by a doctor, to dispense a stated quantity of a particular drug in a specified dose. A prescription also contains instructions to the patient indicating how the drug is to be taken, how often, and for how long. These are usually computer-printed on the label by the pharmacist.Collins Dictionary of Medicine © Robert M. Youngson 2004, 2005
prescription
A written formula for the preparation and administration of any treatment. At a minimum, medication prescriptions should include the name of the medication to be used, instructions for its usage and the amount of medication to be dispensed. A spectacle prescription may include a spherical component (often called the spherical error or the sphere), a cylindrical component (often called the cylindrical error), a prismatic component, an addition for near vision and the interpupillary distance. Example: +3.00 D (−1.50 D ✕ 90º) 1.5 ΧBI, OU add: +1.75 D, 64 mm. Prescriptions for contact lenses include very specific information regarding the lenses, besides the refraction adjusted for the corneal plane. The form and terminology nowadays usually conform to the recommendations of the International Standards Organization. See Rx.
| Table P9 Abbreviations commonly used in prescriptions | ||
| abbreviation | Latin | meaning |
| ac | ante cibum | before meals |
| ad lib | ad libitum | freely, as desired |
| agit. ante us | agita ante usum | shake before taking |
| alt hor | alternis horis | every other hour |
| bid | bis in die | use twice a day |
| c | cum | with |
| gtt | guttae | drops |
| od | omni die | every day |
| oh | omni hora | every hour |
| om | omni mane | every morning |
| on | omni nocte | every night |
| pc | post cibum | after eating |
| po | per os | by mouth |
| prn | pro re nata | use as needed |
| qd | quaque in die | use every day |
| qh | quaque hora | use every hour |
| qid | quater in die | use four times a day |
| ql | quantum libet | as much as desired |
| s | sine | without |
| sig | signa | label |
| soln | solutio | solution |
| tab | tabella | tablet |
| tid | ter in die | use three times a day |
| ung | unguentum | ointment |
Millodot: Dictionary of Optometry and Visual Science, 7th edition. © 2009 Butterworth-Heinemann
pre·scrip·tion
(prĕ-skrip'shŭn)Written formula for the preparation and administration of any remedy.
Medical Dictionary for the Dental Professions © Farlex 2012
Patient discussion about prescription
😴😒😂 Q. What are some good non-prescription lotions for psoriasis
A. from some reason- bathing in the "dead sea" in Israel helps psoriasis. i know they sell mud from the dead sea in malls all over the U.S. try it- could be useful.
😴😒😂 Q. Can you provide information about how depression can be cured without prescription medications? I was working at a MNC with a high designation. Because of the internal politics I was sent out with a label ‘irresponsible.’ Each and everyone on the chairman’s committee knows very well about my hard work and the benefits they had gotten because of me. This wrong news has gone down the corporate grapevine to other companies and they are not accepting my application. I went into depression and was sick. I have spent all my hard-earned money on medications. Now my pocket is empty. No-one is there to help. I don’t need money from you now but can you provide information about how depression can be cured without prescription medications?
A. kenn;;im not gonna hold your hand on this one,what has happened to you happens to others,forget about the depression meds...SHIT HAPPENS...you have to be strong...and get your life together...the way the world is today..with people losing there jobs..their homes and all of their money...your problem seems small...think about another kind of job...think about going to school for something else..your life has not ended because of this....spend your money on looking for something new..GET IT TOGETHER.....PEACE mrfoot56
More discussions about prescriptionThis content is provided by iMedix and is subject to iMedix Terms. The Questions and Answers are not endorsed or recommended and are made available by patients, not doctors.