Elephant Formulary
© 2003-17 Susan K. Mikota DVM and Donald C. Plumb, Pharm.D. Published by
Elephant Care International
www.elephantcare.org
Disclaimer: the information on this page is used entirely at the reader's discretion, and is made available on the express condition that no liability, expressed or implied, is accepted by the authors or publisher for the accuracy, content, or use thereof.
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Abbreviations Used In Prescription Writing
A warning; and the strange case of S.I.D.: Although prescription abbreviations are used throughout this reference and they are fairly well recognized, they do increase the potential for mistakes to occur. When writing a prescription, this author recommends writing out the directions in plain English and avoiding the use of abbreviations entirely. If abbreviations are to be used, definitely avoid q.d., q.o.d., and s.i.d. because they can be easily confused with other abbreviations.
S.I.D. is virtually unknown to health professionals outside of veterinary medicine and the vast majority of pharmacists have never seen it used. S.I.D. should be eliminated from all veterinary usage.
a.c. before meals
a.d. right ear
a.s. left ear
a.u. both ears
amp. ampule
b.i.d. twice a day
c. with
cap. capsule
cc cubic centimeter
disp. dispense
g or gm gram
gtt(s). drop(s)
h. hour
h.s. at bedtime
IM intramuscular
IP intraperitoneal
IV intravenous
lb. pound
m2 meter squared
mg. milligram
ml. milliliter
o.d. right eye
o.s. left eye
o.u. both eyes
p.c. after meals
p.o. by mouth
p.r.n. as needed
q. every
q4h, etc every 4 hours
q.i.d. four times a day
q.o.d. every other day
q.s. a sufficient quantity
q4h every 4 hours, etc.
s.i.d. once a day
Sig: directions to pt.
stat immediately
SubQ, SQ, SC, Subcut
subcutaneous
susp. suspension
t.i.d. three times a day
tab tablet
Tbsp. tablespoon (15 ml)
tsp. teaspoon (5 ml)
Ut dict. as directed