SOS Medical Prescription And Their Abbreviations

Whenever we get prescribed by doctors about the specific dose of medicines then we mostly wonder about the abbreviation written along with the prescribed medicine.It must be hard right when you take your prescribed paper and wonder when to take the dose?

In this blog we are going to get you covered with abbreviations that are used in prescriptions so that the next time you get to read that paper,you will easily get what that abbreviated form means.We will know that why it is necessary to know them and why one should pay attention towards it.

Abbreviation for prescription

There are many abbreviations in a prescribed medicinal paper but do you know what abbreviation is used for the prescription itself?

• Rx is an abbreviation for prescription itself.
• It is derived from the Latin word for “recipe” which means “take”.
• Isn’t it amazing that a prescription has an abbreviation itself?

Why should you know the meaning of abbreviations?

Now one may think that is it really necessary to know the meaning of abbreviations?Is it really worth it?

While knowing all of the abbreviations may or may not be necessary for a common man but it is advisable to know a little few or the basic ones that are widely used. The reason to know why one should know the meaning of abbreviations written in prescriptions are as follows-

• To know the meaning .
• To know the time of taking a dose.
• Whether to take it before a meal or after a meal.
• To avoid any misunderstanding.
• To save oneself from wrong usage.
• To be assured of taking the right dosage at the right time.

Get information about – Doctor prescription

Why are abbreviations written in the prescription?

Abbreviations or short forms are written in a medicinal prescription to-

• To save time.
• To save space.
• To indicate time to take a dose.
• Abbreviations are written for common use.
• To provide better understanding.
• To avoid confusion.
• To avoid valid readability.

You can also look at bd means in medical.

Some basic abbreviations and their full forms

There are many abbreviations that are used in healthcare services but here we are providing a list of basic abbreviations that one can see in prescriptions.

Here are some abbreviations that are most widely used-

• SOS-if necessary or as needed.
• ad lib-freely; as much as desired
• ad sat- to saturation
• alt-alternate
• alt. h.- every other hour
• am, A.M.—— in the morning; before noon
• amp- ampule
• amt–amount
• ant– anterior
• ante- before
• ap-before dinner
• AQ- aq water
• ASA –aspirin spell out drug name “aspirin”
• ATC-around the clock
• AU-each ear; both ears
• bid, BID–twice a day
• BM-bowel movement
• BP blood pressure
• BT bedtime
• c-with
• C.C.- chief complaint
• ℅-complaints of
• C&S- culture and sensitivity
• cap-capsule
• dil.— diluted
• disp-dispense
• OD-Once daily
• qid-four times a day
• tds-three times a day.

SOS and its meaning in medical prescription

SOS is derived from the Latin language that means ‘si Opus sit’. SOS is written to inform the patient when the particular drug is to be taken.The phrase ‘si opus sit’ means if necessary or as needed.

• It is told or written to tell the patient that medicine is to be taken or when required.
• It is not to be taken on a fixed schedule.
• SOS medicines are taken when one wants immediate relief from the symptoms.

Examples of SOS medicines

• A cough syrup that is to be taken to get relief from the symptoms of cough.
• A painkiller that is needed or to be taken only when the occurrence of pain occurs.
• PCM medicine that is advised to be taken in fever or when symptoms associated with it occur.

Is there any extended full form of SOS available in medical prescriptions?

The extended full form of SOS in medical prescriptions is save our soul that refers to the medicine that are given immediately to the patient suffering from specific symptoms that one want to get relief from

• It is advised to take the drug when there is real necessity to take the drug to get relief
• SOS drugs or medicines are termed as saviour drugs or saviour medicine.
• It emphasises the need for urgent relief from the pain or any other uncomfortable symptom that a patient might be feeling currently.

Other meanings of SOS in medicine or healthcare services

One must wonder whether there is any other meaning of SOS in healthcare services or is the above mentioned one the only one?

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Well,the answer to the question is that in written prescriptions the meaning of SOS is if required or as taken per necessity.But yes there are other meanings too in medicinal terms or healthcare services. SOS have meanings like-save our subluxation,stent or surgery,surgery on site,signs of stress,etc.

What to do if one is unable to interpret the meaning of written abbreviation on prescription?

Now many of the readers will think that the answer will be –just google it!!

Searching about that sounds like a valid option and many of us do that many times but have you ever thought if a slight misunderstanding of interpretation occurs then what will happen?

Things like this may occur if misinterpretation occurs

• Wrong amount of dose at the wrong time.
• Less effectiveness of drugs.
• Cycle of drug intake gets disturbed.
• Internal problems.
• Side effects.
• Maladjustment of drugs inside the body.
• Drugs at inappropriate times may cause mild to severe problems.
• Wrong reactivity of drug.

What to do to interpret the prescription properly?

• Read the drug name properly.
• Read the dosage accurately.
• Know the amount and time of dosage.
• Try to decipher the prescription.
• Learn the basic full forms.

In case where you feel unable to interpret then do not consume medicine casually instead do these

• Ask the pharmacist to review the prescription.
• Ask pharmacists to make them simpler.
• Review the information given by your pharmacist.

Now when you next time take a step further to read the prescription note in your mind the accurate abbreviation to get the best outputs and yes to avoid any hazard. Abbreviations and their full forms are must to know!

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