Home : Breakthrough Pain : Understanding Your Prescriptions

Understanding Your Prescriptions It is helpful for you to understand your prescriptions. The prescription "script" is a legal document that provides your doctor's order to the pharmacist. It instructs the pharmacist how to dispense the medication(s) to you. There are specifications on what medication, at what dose, for what duration of time, as well as any special instructions that required to take to the medication noted on the prescription. A. The doctor's name and contact information. The physician's prescribing number or Drug Enforcement Agency number (DEA) may appear on the preprinted information, or it could be handwritten in when required for prescribing certain controlled medications or substances. B. Your name, address, date of birth (or age). It is important to note that a prescription is only prescribed for only one person, the person named on the prescription. C. The body of the prescription. You will note the abbreviation Rx, which in today's modern society means prescription, but is Latin for "take thou". The body will contain the following: The name of the medication you are being prescribed can be written denoting either the brand name or the generic name. (Special Note: the pharmacist is required to dispense exactly what the doctor has written, unless the doctor provides instructions otherwise. See section G.) The dosage or strength of the medication. The amount or quantity of medication to be dispersed. Many physician's will write either the word "Dispense", or use the symbol "#" to signify how much medication the pharmacist should give to the patient. D. Refill instructions. The physician will denote the number of times that a prescription can be refilled. (Special Note: Legislature in some states limit the number of pills or quantity of medication that can be dispensed over a given period of time. Additionally, some pain medications cannot be written for refills.) E. Medication directions. The abbreviation "Sig" is Latin for "label". The directions for taking the medication are provided here. Those directions may include instructions to take before meals, with food, at bedtime, on an empty stomach, or with plenty of water. The instructions should be followed; otherwise the effectiveness of the medication may be hampered. F. The physician's signature. A prescriber's signature is required on all prescriptions. Prescribers may include Medical Doctors (MD), Doctors of Osteopathy (DO), Nurse Practitioners (NP), or Physician's Assistants (PA). G. Instructions to the pharmacist to dispense brand name or generic medications. This allows the pharmacist to substitute the least expensive comparable medication available.

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