Prescription drugs require a doctor's approval to obtain, unlike over-the-counter medications that can be purchased freely. The term "prescription" is derived from the Latin "praescriptus," combining "prae," meaning before, and "scribere," meaning to write—indicating that prescriptions were historically written before a medication was prepared and given.A prescription consists of several components:1. Superscription: This section is marked by the symbol R, representing "Recipe," which in Latin means "to take."2. Inscription: This part lists the names and quantities of the medication's ingredients.3. Subscription: This provides instructions for how to mix or prepare the medication.4. Signatura: Often preceded by the symbol "s." for "signa" (meaning "mark"), it gives directions to be labeled on the medication container.Within a prescription, abbreviations dictate how often medication should be taken. "b.i.d." means twice daily, from the Latin "bis in die." It may also appear as "bid" or "BID" without periods. These abbreviations, steeped in tradition, are used to specify dosage frequency. Other common examples include:- "q.d." (qd or QD) for once daily, from "quaque die."- "t.i.d." (tid or TID) for three times daily, from "ter in die."- "q.i.d." (qid or QID) for four times daily, from "quater in die."If a medication is to be administered at specific intervals, "q_h" is used, where "q" means "every" and "h" indicates the number of hours. For instance, "2 caps q4h" instructs to take two capsules every four hours.
