Name, age, address and sex of the patient

Prescription WritingFORMAT &DEFINITION:It is a term applied to the formula writtenby a physician to the pharmacist for thepreparation of remedies and to the patientfor the use of these drugs.

Prescription WritingContents of prescription1. Superscription2. Inscription3. Subscription4.signa5. Signature

Prescription WritingSuperscription• Name ,address, qualifications and telephonenumber of prescriber.• Name, age, address and sex of the patient• Date of writing the prescription.• Registration number and date.• Diagnosis• The symbol Rx , which is an abbreviation of theLatin word “recipe” mean simply TAKE

Prescription WritingInscription:it is the body of the prescription• Name of medicine or medicines• Strength of medicine• Amount of medicine• Pharmaceutical form

Prescription WritingInscriptionExample:-RxTetracyclin 250 mg capsuleDispense 20 caps

Prescription WritingSubscriptionDirections from the physician to thepharmacist concerning the way ofpreparation to give the form and amountof the prescribing drug.This is applied when there is compound.

Prescription WritingSubscriptionExample:-Paracetamol 500 mgDiazepam 2 mgmake 8 caps

Prescription WritingTranscriptionDirection for use to the patient• Method of administration• Amount to be taken• Frequency of administration• Time around meal

Prescription WritingTranscriptionExample:-Rifampicin 150 mg cap1×2 before meal

Prescription Writing• Labeling : When the physician wantshis patient to know the name of thedrug, the box on the prescription formmarked "label" should be checked.• Refills : The physician should designatethe number of refills he wishes thepatient to have.

Prescription WritingClassification of controlled drugs• Schedule IDrugs in this schedule have no acceptedmedical use and have a high abusepotential e.g. heroin ,marijuana.• Schedule IIHigh abuse risk but accepted medicaluse e.g. morphine ,opium, codeine .

Prescription Writing• Schedule IIIAbuse risk less than Schedule II, safeand accepted medical use e.g.Acetaminophen with codeine(Tylenol)Acetaminophen with hydrocodone(vicodine)

Classification of controlled agents• Schedule IVAbuse risk less than Schedule III Andsafe and accepted medical e.g.Diazepam (valium), chlordizepoxide,oxazepam, chloroazepate, flurazepam,etc.• Schedule VAbuse risk less than Schedule IV Andsafe and accepted medical use e.g.antitussive and antidiarrheal

Every physician who administers, prescribes,dispenses any of the drugs listed in the fiveschedules must be registered with the State ofLouisiana and the Federal Drug EnforcementAdministration."administer" to instill a drug into the body ofthe patient"prescribe" to issue a prescription order forthe patient"dispense" to deliver controlled substances ina container to the patient

Refilling Prescriptions for ControlledSubstancesRefills for Schedule II drugs are not permitted.Refills for Schedule III, IV, and V drugs arepermitted if the number of refills is indicated on theprescription. However, the prescription order may berenewed only up to five times within six months afterthe date of issue. After five renewals or after sixmonths a new prescription order is required.

Prescription WritingAbbreviation used in prescription writingAbbreviationI.dB.I.dT.I.dQ.I.da.cp.cMeaningdailyTwice dailyThree times dailyFour times dailyBefore mealafter meal

Prescription WritingAbbreviationp.o.I.mI.vS.Cp.rMeaningorallyintramuscularintravenousSubcutaneousrectally

Prescription WritingGeneral notes1. write in clear hand writing with correctnames concerning the drugs.2. Date of the prescription is important3. you can use Scientific or commercialnames of the drugs.4. The prescriber may insist on certainbrand of drug ( Please dispense asdirected) .

Prescription Writing5. Avoid personal abbreviation6. Drug and food timinga. before meal : appetite stimulant, mostantibiotics, antiulcerb. with the meal: digestive enzymes, steroidsc. after meal : NSAIDS

7.Careful use of decimal points to avoidambiguity e.g.. Using zero prefix decimals eg.0.5 instead of .5 to avoid misinterpretation of.5 as 58. For refills ,the minimum duration betweenrepeats &number of repeats should bespecified .

In summery , to avoid the undesirable &/or seriouseffects on the patient, both physician &pharmacistmust render the highest of professional servicesregarding:1.accurate diagnosis2.proper selection of medication3.dosage form &routs of administration4.proper size &timing of the dose5.precise dispensing6.accurate labeling & correct packaging must be provided