The sign is formed by a line across the right foot of the letter "R." It represents the word "prescription." It has come to mean "take this medicine." The sign has its beginnings five thousand years ago in Egypt. At that time, people prayed to Horus, the god of the Sun. It was said that when Horus was a child, he was attacked by Seth, the demon of evil.
The evil Seth put out the eye of the young Horus. The mother of Horus called for help. Her cry was answered by Thoth, the god of learning and magic. Thoth, with his wisdom and special powers, healed the eye of Horus. And the child was able to see again.
The ancient Egyptians used a drawing of the eye of Horus as a magic sign to protect themselves from disease, suffering and evil. They cut this sign in the stones they used for buildings. And it was painted on the papyrus rolls used for writing about medicine and doctors. For thousands of years, the eye of Horus remained as a sign of the god's help to the suffering and sick.
Long after the fall of the ancient Egyptian civilization, doctors and alchemists in Europe continued the custom of showing a sign of the gods' help and protection. But over the years, the sign changed from the eye of Horus to the sign for Jupiter, the chief god of the Romans. Jupiter's sign looked much like the printed number "four."
That sign changed, also. Today, it is the easily-recognized capital "R" with a line across its foot. The sign no longer offers heavenly assistance to the sick. It now means "take this medicine."
Other Sources:
The symbol "Rx" is usually said to stand for the Latin word "recipe" meaning "to take." It is customarily part of the superscription (heading) of a prescription.
Another explanation for the origin of Rx is that it was derived from the astrological sign for Jupiter which was once placed on prescriptions to invoke that god's blessing on the drug to help the patient recover.
Why does the symbol "Rx" equal prescription? The "Rx" heading actually derives from the word "recipe," and in Latin means "to take." How we take these medicines, however, is at our medical doctor's discretion, and under his supervision. A prescription is a licensed medicine, and can only be obtained by a doctor's written permission.
Prescription Abbreviations:
Doctors use prescription abbreviations (based on Latin words) that tell your pharmacist which medication to give you and directions on how to use that medication.
If you learn to understand the medical shorthand used by your doctor, you can read your own prescription immediately after it is written. This will help make sure that you know what medication you are getting and it will give you a chance to ask questions about your doctor's instructions.
Understanding Your Prescription May Help Prevent a Medical Error
The more you understand about your prescription, the less likely it is that you will have a medical error. For example, your pharmacist may make a mistake reading your doctor's handwriting. If your doctor's writing is not clear and easily read, your prescription may take longer to fill or you may be given the wrong dose or the wrong directions.
As a smart medical consumer, it is a good idea to check your prescription and make sure that it is filled correctly at the pharmacy. If you think there is an error or a discrepancy, you can alert the pharmacist or call your doctor.
Some doctor's offices now use electronic prescribing. You may receive a printed prescription to take to the pharmacy, or your prescription may be faxed or e-mailed to the pharmacy. Ask to see a printout of these prescriptions before leaving your doctor's office.
How to Read a Doctor's Prescription:
1. Ask your doctor or nurse practitioner to explain what the medication will do.
2. Ask for the name of the medicine, the dose, how often you are to take it and for how long. Write this down so you will be able to compare this with what you get from the pharmacy
3. Understand that the "Rx" on the prescription in Latin means "receive thou" or "take". These were instructions from a doctor to the apothecary chemist on how to prepare the compounded medication and how many doses to make. Just less than 50 years ago, almost all medications were made by hand by the pharmacist or apothecary chemist. In many countries that is still true, as the pharmacist weighs, mixes and calculates what amount of ingredients to add to a mortar and then grind and mix together with a pestle. Latin continues to be used frequently and the "codes" are short for frequency a preparation should be taken, ie. QD = "quaque die", literally "every day", BID = "bis in die", literally "twice within day".
4. Check the codes.
Common instructions include: QD (every day) OD (once daily) BID (twice a day), TID (three times a day), QAM (every morning), QPM (every night),Q4H (every 4 hours),QOD (every other day), HS (at bedtime) and PRN (as needed), PO or "per os" (by mouth), AC (before meals), PC (after meals), Mg (milligrams), Mcg/ug (micrograms), or G or Gm (grams).
5. Mistakes can take place when a chemist reads the directions differently than what the doctor intended (Often when prescriptions are handwritten - Doctors are notorious for using illegible handwriting on prescriptions) :Know what you're being given. The doctor, physician assistant, or nurse practitioner will then specify the generic or chemical name of the drug, the strength in units, milligrams, % strength of an ointment. There are scores of dosage forms: drops, creams, otic drops, opthalmic drops, suspension, elixirs, troches, sublingual tabs, buccal, intramuscular, subcutaneous, suppositories, and inhalers, patches that can be placed behind the ear or on the stomach. The number of times the prescription can be refilled and whether the doctor will allow a generic instead of a brand name to be used.
Article by
A MAHALINGAM BSc, BS OA(BITS), EDHM(LIBA), PG DOM, M B A
Academic Officer - The Sankara Nethralaya Academy,
29/8, Haddows Road, Nungambakkam, Chennai – 600 006
E Mail : sn.mahali@gmail.com
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