Publish Date September 29, 2021 Common Medical Abbreviations Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn Share on Reddit Print Share by Email Common Medical Abbreviations COMMON MEDICAL ABBREVIATIONS aa of each ac before meals ad right ear ad lib as desired ADR adverse drug reaction AM morning; before noon amt amount ANDA Abbreviated New Drug Application ante before APAP acetaminophen aq water; aqueous as left ear ASA aspirin au both ears AUC area under the curve bid twice a day biw twice weekly BMR basal metabolism rate bp boiling point BP blood pressure BUN blood urea nitrogen c with C Centigrade Ca calcium cap(s) capsule(s) cath catheter CBC complete blood count cc cubic centimeter chol cholesterol Cl chloride cm centimeter Cmax maximum effective plasma concentration Cmin minimum effective plasma concentration c/o complains of comp compounded of CV cardiovascular DAW dispense as written DC, D/C discontinue dil dilute disch discharge disp dispense DNR do not resuscitate dr dram drp(s) drop(s) Dx diagnosis EENT Eye, Ear, Nose & Throat etc and so on EtOH alcohol exp expired ext extract, external F Fahrenheit FBS fasting blood sugar Fe iron fl fluid fl dr fluidram fl oz fluid ounce ft let there be made FUO fever of unknown origin Fx fracture g, gm gram gr grain gt a drop gtt drops H, h, hr hour H2O water HDL-C high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol HR heart rate HRT hormone replacement therapy hs at bedtime, hour of sleep Hx history IM intramuscular INDA Investigational New Drug Application inh inhalation INH isoniazid inj injection IPPB intermittent positive pressure breathing IU international units IV intravenous kg kilogram L liter, left, put left first lb pound LDL-C low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol liq liquid MAOI monoamine oxidase inhibitor mcg microgram MDI metered dose inhaler mEq milliequivalent mg milligram Mg magnesium MgSO4 magnesium sulfate mL milliliter mm millimeter MOM milk of magnesia MSO4 morphine sulfate Na sodium NaCl sodium chloride NDA New Drug Application neg negative NKA no known allergies No. number noct in the night NPO nothing by mouth NR no refill NSAID nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug od right eye oint ointment os left eye OTC over the counter ou each eye oz ounce P pulse, pint PB phenobarbital pc after meals per by PI Package Insert PM evening; after noon po by mouth; orally prn as needed; whenever necessary pt patient, pint pulv powder pwdr powder q every q4h every 4 hours q6h every 6 hours qd every day qh, qhr every hour qid four times per day qiw four times per week ql as much as desired qod every other day qs a sufficient quantity qt quart qw once per week R/O rule out Rx prescription only sat saturated SC, SQ subcutaneously sig label; let it be printed SL sublingual sob shortness of breath sol solution solv dissolve sos if necessary or required ss one half stat immediately supp suppository susp suspension Sx symptoms syr syrup t½ half life tab(s) tablets tbsp tablespoonful temp temperature tid three times per day tiw three times per week Tmax time to maximum concentration top topically TPN total parenteral nutrition tr, tinc tincture tsp teaspoonful Tx treatment ud as directed UD unit-dose package ung ointment URI upper respiratory infection USP United States Pharmacopoeia UTI urinary tract infection vag vaginal VO verbal order vol volume VS vital signs wa while awake wt weight x times (Rev. 2/2020) Topics: Miscellaneous Charts