Pharmaceutical and Medical

Terminologies and Abbreviations

By Abathun.C([Link])
 Terminologies
• Pharmacy: Pharmacy is the art and science of preparing and
dispensing medications and the provision of drug-related
information to the public

• Drug: is a substance which can be used in diagnosis,

mitigation, treatment or prevention of disease in man or
animals

• Dosage form: is the means in which drugs are administered to

the body or preparations that are devised to administer a drug
in to the body
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• Active ingredient: is the component of a dosage form which is
actually important for diagnosis, mitigation, treatment or
prevention of diseases

• Pharmaceutical excipient / additive: is a substance that is used

together with the active ingredient to make the whole
preparation suitable

• Dose: amount of drug to be taken at one time

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• Strength: is the concentration/ amount of the active ingredient
in a given unit dosage form
• Dosing interval: is the time interval between which doses of a
drug is taken
• Frequency of administration: is the number of times a given
drug should be taken per day
• Dosage: is the total sum how a medication should be taken
(dose + frequency of administration + duration of treatment)
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• Extemporaneous preparation: is a formulation prepared at
small-scale level
• Pharmacopoeia: is an official publication that contain
monographs on
 Therapeutic use
 Physical property of drugs
 Limits on purity
 Physical/ chemical identity tests
 Assays/quantification methods
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• Drug list: list of drugs approved for use in a given health care
system

• Formulary: a book containing lists of drugs for a country,

region, zone or specific hospital with summarized information
on each drug (basic and scientific)
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• Standard treatment guideline (STG): is a systematically
developed, disease-focused document designed to assist
practitioners in making decisions about appropriate health care
for specific clinical circumstances

• Efficacy: a term referring to the ability of a medicine to elicit a

beneficial clinical effect
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• Safety: a relative concept used to denote the freedom from
harm or damage resulting from adverse reactions or physical,
psychological or behavioral abnormalities that occur as a result
of medicine use

• Potency: a relative term which expresses the ability of a

medicine to produce pharmacological effect at relatively small
doses
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• Adverse drug reaction/effect: a noxious and unintended effect
of a drug that occurs in doses normally used in humans for the
diagnosis, prophylaxis or treatment of disease

• Toxic effect: unwanted effect of drug when taken beyond

normal dose
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• Therapeutic window/therapeutic index: is the term used to
indicate the margin of dose (difference between minimum and
maximum doses) that should be given to patients to get an
adequate clinical response while avoiding intolerable toxic
effects

• Quality control: a regulatory process which involves checking

or testing whether product specifications are met
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• Quality assurance: is the sum total of organized arrangements
made to ensure that pharmaceuticals are of the quality required
for their intended use and that quality systems are maintained
• Shelf life: the length of time for which a product may remain
on the shelf, in the original package and under usual
environmental conditions (recommended storage conditions)
and retain an acceptable level of its original potency and
overall quality
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• Prescription drugs: drugs which are dispensed with
prescription only

• OTC drugs: drugs which are dispensed even without

prescription

• Essential drugs: are those drugs which satisfy the health

care needs of majority of people
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o Patient compliance

• patient understanding and adherence to the directions for use

• following label directions for taking medication properly and

adhering to any special instructions provided by the prescriber
and/or pharmacist
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• Placebo: a term applied to a remedy that does not affect
specific mechanism of a disease or to the favorable response
that a given treatment often elicits
• Orphan drugs : Drugs developed for diseases in which the
expected number of patients is small
• Prodrug : is an ‘inactive’ form of a drug that requires
metabolic activation inside the body (bioactivation) to release
‘active’ form of the drug
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• Diastolic pressure- the blood pressure level during the time the
heart muscle is relaxed
• Disease- a disturbance in the body or function of an organ or
organs
• Euphoria- excessive excitement
• Spasm- an abrupt and forceful contraction of muscle usually
associated with marked pain or discomfort
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• Analgesic-an agent that relieves pain without causing loss of
consciousness

• Antibacterial- an agent that destroys or suppresses growth and

reproduction of bacteria

• Antidote- an agent that counteracts a poison or overdose of

drug, e.g. activated charcoal, naloxone
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• Anti-inflammatory-an agent that counteract or suppresses
inflammation. E.g ibuprofen

• Antipyretic- an agent that relieves or reduces fever, e.g.

paracetamol (acetaminophen)

• Antiseptic-substance that inhibits the growth and

development of microorganisms but does not necessarily
kill them, e.g iodine (in iodine tincture)
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• Antitussive- an agent that suppresses cough, e.g.
dextrometorphan HCl.
• Bronchodilator- an agent which causes dilation of the bronchi,
e.g. theophylline
• Carminative- an agent that relives flatulence, e.g. peppermint
spirit
• Contraindication- any condition which renders a particular
line of treatment improper or undesirable
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• Drug interaction-the action of one drug upon the effectiveness
or toxicity of another (or others)
• Expiry date- is the date before which the quality of a
pharmaceutical remains acceptable for its intended use
• Hygroscopic-readily absorbing moisture
• Humectants- hygroscopic substance which when added to
different dosage forms reduce the loss of moisture. E.g.
glycerin, sorbitol
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• Hypnotic- an agent that induces sleep, e.g. chloral hydrate

• Batch number or control number- means any distinctive

combination of letters, numbers, or symbols, or any
combination of them from which the complete history of the
preparation, processing, packing, holding and distribution of a
batch or lot of drug product or other material can be
determined
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• Label-means a display of written, printed, or graphic matter
upon the immediate container of any drug product or material

• Batch-means a specific quantity of a drug or other material

that is intended to have a uniform character and quality, within
specified limit, and is produced according to a single
manufacturing order during the same cycle of manufacture
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• Package- means the immediate container or wrapping in
which any preparation is contained for use or storage

• Bulk preparations- are preparations prepared in large volumes

or in masses, intended to be used for a short period of time, not
to be stocked for long period
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o Patient noncompliance

• failure to comply with a practitioner’s or labeled direction in

the self-administration of any medication
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• Single-blind study : A clinical trial in which the
investigators—but not the subjects—know which subjects are
receiving active drug and which are receiving placebos

• Double-blind study: A clinical trial in which neither the

subjects nor the investigators know which subjects are
receiving placebos; the code is held by a third party
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• Phases 1, 2, and 3 of clinical trials : Three parts of a clinical
trial that are usually carried out before submitting an NDA to
the FDA
• NDA :New Drug Application; seeks FDA approval to market a
new drug for ordinary clinical use; requires data from clinical
trials as well as preclinical (animal) data
• IND :Investigational New Drug Exemption; an application for
FDA approval to carry out new drug trials in humans; requires
animal data
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• Package insert/Leaflets: a summary of essential scientific
information that is needed for safe and effective use of the
pharmaceuticals

 must be informative, accurate and neither promotional in tone

nor false or misleading
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• Vasodilatation- the enlargement or dilation of blood vessels

• Vasoconstriction- the narrowing and contraction of blood

vessels

• Systolic blood pressure- the force with which blood is pumped

when the heart muscle is contracting
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• Hyperpyrexia- high fever

• Hypertension- high blood pressure

• Inflammation- the reaction of tissues to injury, manifested by

pain, heat, swelling, and redness

• Acute- rapid, short, sudden, severe

• Afebrile – without fever, usually referring to a patient who’s

temperature is normal
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• Ambulatory- not bed ridden, able to walk by oneself

• Apnea- a temporary stopping of breathing, often

occurring during sleep

• Asymptomatic- without symptoms

• Cyanotic- bluish color of the skin and mucous

membranes, usually due to poor circulation and
insufficient oxygen in the blood stream
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• Idiopathic- of unknown cause
• Hypoglycemia- too little sugar in the blood
• Etiology- the study of the cause of a specific disorder or
disease
• Diastolic pressure- the blood pressure level during the time the
heart muscle is relaxed
• Edema- excessive accumulation of fluid in the body tissue
which causes swelling
 Root word and their meanings
• aden/o =gland

• cardi/o= heart

• dermat/o=skin

• enter/o= small intestine

• gastr/o= stomach

• hemat/o=blood
 Con,d
• nephr/o= kidney

• neur/o = nerve

• pulmon/o-lungs

• Myo =muscle

• hepat/o =liver
 Prescription and abbreviations
commonly used in prescriptions
 Prescription
 is an order for medication issued by authorized medical
practitioner (Physician, veterinary doctors, dentists, e.t.c)
 designate a specific medication and dosage to be administered
to a particular patient at a specified time
• The prescription order is a part of the professional relationship
among the prescriber, the pharmacy professional and the
patient
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• Prescription papers can be classified based on the type of
drugs to be prescribed as:
 Special prescription paper: prescription used only for
controlled drugs
 Psychotropic drug prescription paper
 Narcotic drug prescription paper
 Normal prescription paper: prescription paper used for drugs
other than the controlled drugs
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• Parts of Prescription

 Name and address of the health institution from which the

prescription is originated

 Patient information

 Date

 Superscription (It is the symbol Rx)

 Inscription (medication prescribed)

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• Subscription (direction for dispensing)

• Signatura (directions for the patient)

• Special instruction

• Signature of the prescriber

 Abbreviations
• Rx----- -You take (treatment)

• b.i.d.---- Twice daily

• t.i.d------ Three times

• q.i.d.----- Four times daily

• sex.d----- Six times a day

• Stat.------ Immediately (once)

• t.i.w.------ Three times a week

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• p.r.n.----- When required

• 2/12------ For two months

• 1/52------ For one week

• 5/7------- For five days

• noct.-- Night

• a.c.---- Before meals

• p.c.---- After meals

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• i.c------ Between meals

• a.m---- morning

• p.m----afternoon

• o.m----Every morning

• o.n-----Every night

• h.s/h.d-At bed time

• Tsp-----Teaspoonful (5ml)
 Con,d
• Tbsp-----Tablespoonful(15ml)

• i.m/IM---Intramuscularly

• i.v/IV-----Intravenously

• i.d/ID----Intradermaly

• s.c/SC----Subcutaneously

• p.o--------By mouth (to be swallowed)

• rect/PR---Rectally
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• SL----Sublingually

• p.a.----To the affected area

• tab.---- Tablet

• caps.---Capsule

• susp.----Suspension
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• UTI---- urinary tract infection

• URI---- upper respiratory infection

• TPN---- total parenteral nutrition

• SOB---- shortness of breath

• Pt------ patient

• OA---- osteoarthritis

• MI---- myocardial ischemia/ infarction

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• IOP---- intraocular pressure

• HT or HTN---hypertension

• HRT------hormone replacement therapy

• HBP----high blood pressure

• HA----- headache

• GU----genitourinary

• GFR----glomerular filtration rate

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• GERD---gastrointestinal reflux disease

• CHF-----congestive heart failure

• CHD-----coronary heart disease

• BS-------blood sugar

• BP-----blood pressure

• BM----bowel movement

• RBS----random blood sugar

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• EES-----erythromycin ethylsuccinate

• HC----hydrocortisone

• HCTZ---hydrochlorothiazide

• MTX----methotrexate

• NTG----nitroglycerin
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• D5NS----dextrose 5% in normal saline (0.9% sodium chloride)

• D5W-----dextrose 5% in water

• elix.-----elixir

• inj.------injection

• NS-----normal saline

• 1⁄ 2NS-----half-strength normal saline

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• oint or ungt.------ointment

• pulv.------powder

• RL, R/L or LR-----Ringer’s Lactate orLactated Ringer’s

• sol.------solution

• supp.----suppository

• Susp-----suspension
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• syr.----syrup

• tab.----tablet

• IT---- intrathecal

• IVB---- intravenous bolus

• IV Drip---- intravenous infusion

• IVP------- intravenous push

• IVPB------ intravenous piggy back

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• NGT------- nasogastric tube

• Top.-------- topically

• V or PV------ vaginally

• CIVI-------- continuous (24 hour) intravenous infusion

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• AZT----- zidovudine

• ASA------ aspirin

• APAP----- acetaminophen

• ut dict. ----- as directed

• s.o.s------ if there is need; as needed

• s.i.d----- once a day

 Con,d
• S------ without

• rep.-- repeat

• q4h---every 4 hours

• s.i.d.----- once a day

• qAM----- every morning

• N&V--- nausea and vomiting

• m&n----- morning and night

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• Admin---- administer

• aq. ----- water

• dil. ----- dilute

• Ad----- up to; to make

• disp.------ dispense

• div.------ divide
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• Ft------ make

• M.----- mix

• q.s----a sufficient quantity to make

• gtt-------drop

• gal-----gallon
 Exercise
A. Identify the dose, frequency of administration, dosage form
and duration of treatment

• Enalapril 5mg. tab. po. Bid for 2 month

• Ceftriaxone 1g. im. Daily for 10 days

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1. Interpret abbreviations and write an instruction for a patient

• Omeprazole 20mg. Cap. po. Daily. a.c. For 4/52

• Amoxacillin 125mg/5ml. Susp. 2tsp. Tid. For 10 days

• Albendazole 400mg. tab. po. Stat

• Paracetamol 500mg. tab. po. 2tab. prn