It covered all topics from syllabus of prescription chapter of pharmaceutics-2, It's become helpfull for diploma students, took all topics from R.M.Mehta pharmaceutics-2, 3rd edition-2010, vallabh prakashan.

1. •PRESCRIPTION

2. Definition
Parts of prescription:
 Date
 Name, age, sex, and address of the patient
 Superscription
 Inscription
 Subscription
 Signatura
 Renewal instruction
 Signature, address and registration number of the prescriber.
Handling of prescription

3. Latin terms and abbreviation
Modern methods of prescribing
Sources of error in prescription
References

4. PRESCRIPTION:
 It is a written order/command from doctor or
physician or other licensed practitioner to the
pharmacist to compound and dispensed a specific
medication for the patient.

5. PARTS OF PRESCRIPTION:
1. DATE :
 It helps a pharmacist to know the filling or
prescribing date of prescription.
 Prescription must contain a date, if which prescribe
narcotic or habit forming drug, to avoid its misuse.

6. 2. NAME, AGE, SEX, WEIGHT AND ADDRESS
OF PATIENT:
 These parts must be included, because its helps to
identify the prescription.
 Age and sex of the patient helps the pharmacist to
check prescribed dose of medication, if the patient
is children.
 Weight of patient also help to calculate the
appropriate dose of medicines.

7. 3. SUPERSCRIPTION:
 Its shown by symbol Rx
 Its written before writing the prescription.
 Rx is a Latin word, meaning TAKE THOU ( You
Take)
 In olden days, Rx considered as a sign of Jupiter (
God of healing) and requesting to god for the quick
recovery of the patient.

8. 4. INSCRIPTION:
 It’s a main part of prescription order, contain name
and required quantities of ingredients
 The name of ingredients are written in English or
Latin language or some time abbreviation also used.
 Inscription is divided into following parts: base,
adjuvant and vehicle.
 Nowadays, suitable formulations are available, so
pharmacist only need to dispense readymade
medicine.

9.  Due to this reason compounding of prescription
eliminated.
5. SUBSCRIPTION:
 Its give a instruction or direction to the pharmacist
for making the prescription and number of dose to
be dispensed.
 These days, instructions are not written for
pharmacist, because compounding of prescription
eliminated.

10. 6. SIGNATURA:
 It’s a advise, which is given to the patient regarding
administration of the drug.
 Its commonly written as ‘Sig’
 This advise, also should written on label of the
container, so that patient can follow it.

11. 7:RENEWAL INSTRUCTIONS:
 Its also known as refill.
 In which renewal information are written by doctors
 Means how many time that particular prescription
renewed.
 It is very necessary to written in prescription if it
contain narcotic drug in order to avoid misuse.

12. 8. SIGNATURE, ADDRESS AND
REGISTRATION NUMBER OF THE
PRESCRIBER:
 These parts must be written in prescription by
prescriber, to avoid the misuse of prescription, if it
contain any narcotic or habit forming drugs.

14.  HANDLLING OF PRRSCRIPTION:
Pharmacist should go through following steps, when
they will have handle prescription for compounding
and dispensing.
1. Receiving
2. Reading and checking
3. Collecting and weighing the material
4. Compounding, labeling and packaging

15. 1. RECEIVING:
 It is necessary, that the pharmacist himself should
receive prescription from patient.
 During this, pharmacist don’t change his/her facial
expression, otherwise patient will think that, he/she
is confused or surprised after seeing the
prescription.
 Therefore, patient will get negative impression by
pharmacist.

16. 2. READING AND CHECKING:
 After taking a prescription, read it carefully and
check it that either written in proper format or not,
that is doctors pad or OPD slip of hospital/ nursing
home.
 Along with these, check date, name, age of patient
and signature of prescriber.
 Always, prescription should check behind the
counter.
 If pharmacist trouble in reading or any doubt with

17. prescribed ingredients/ direction, immediately the
pharmacist should consult to prescriber.
 If prescription received on telephone by senior
pharmacist/doctor.
 In this case, the name of ingredients properly
verified by repeating on phone, because nowadays,
no. of drugs with almost same pronunciation /
spelling are available in market.
Example:-
Moxikind-MR Dolokind-MR
Prednisone Prednisolone

18. 03. COLLECTION AND WEIGHING THE
MATERIAL:-
Collection:-
 When will you go for collection of material, read
the labeled name of each and every stock bottle
three time and keep it to the left hand side of
balance.
Weighing:-
 Before weighing, sure it, whether balance is
properly working or not.
 After weighing the required material shifted to right
hand side of balance. This will avoid the confusion.

19. 04. COMPOUNDING, LABELING AND
PACKAGING:-
Compounding:
 Firstly collect all the required equipment, then clean
and dried it. Afterward compounding should be
carried out at neat place.
 All the material should be taken according to the
direction or pharmaceutical art.
Packaging:
 The compounded medicine filled in suitable
container depending on its quantity and use.

20.  Labeling: The packed container properly labeled
with white plain paper, this label must contain all
desired information.
Finally, pharmacist should explain the mode of
administration, direction for use and storage, at the
time of delivering to the patient.

32.  Nowadays, all medicines are available as ready-
made form in market, made by various
pharmaceutical companies.
 Therefore, the compounding of medicine are
omitted, hence pharmacist not need to formulate it,
just need to hand over the ready-made medicines.
 During that, pharmacist also need to explain all
information about medicines such as route of
administration, dose frequency, drug interaction and
adverse effect.

33.  Doctors are not required to write all particulars like
name of ingredients, adjuvant, vehicles in
prescription.
 Because of above reason, the writing of prescription
became more significant, thus, accurate, clear and
easily readable prescription obtained.
 In olden days Latin language or abbreviation were
used to hide certain facts from patient but nowadays
English language used, hence patient carefully
understand all.

34.  Drug should be prescribed by its generic name not
by its trade/proprietary name.
 Some advantages and disadvantages are here, If
prescription prescribe by its brand name.
Advantages:
 It is easy to remember brand name of drug.
Eg: Sinarest ( paracetamol+ phenylepharine
hydrochloride +chlorpheniramine maleate)
Librium ( chlordiazepoxide)

35.  It is easy to communicate with patient.
 The continuity can be maintained every time by
prescribing medicines with its brand name.
 Bioavailability of drugs will change with change of
adjuvant by different manufacturer. So only those
branded medicine prescribe which has better
bioavailability.
Bioavailability: presence of active drug in systemic circulation.

36. Disadvantages :
 It is become difficult to dispense the substitute
drugs by pharmacist, available in stock.
Four type of prescription received by retail
pharmacist.
1. General practice
2. Private prescription
3. Out patient (hospital)
4. In patient (hospital)

38. 1. Abbreviation
2. Name of the drug
3. Strength of the preparation
4. Dosage form of the prescribed drug
5. Dose
6. Instruction for the patient
7. Incompatibilities

39. 1. Abbreviation:
 Abbreviation create a problems to understand the
prescription order. Thus, care should be taken by
pharmacist in interpreting the abbreviation.
 Pharmacist should not guess the difficult
abbreviation.
 Eg: doctor intentionally prescribed Achrostatin
with short form ‘Achro’ but pharmacist dispensed
Achromycin

40. 2. Name of the drug:
 Various kind of medicines are available in market
with same pronunciation, look and spelling , these
may chances of creating confusion, if pharmacist
has no proper knowledge of all brand.
 Eg: Digitoxin=Digoxin, Doridon=Doxidan
3. Strength of the preparation:
 The strength of the medicine should be mention in
prescription by the doctors, because, various
strength of the medicines are available in market.

41. Eg: it will be wrong decision if pharmacist dispensed
500 mg paracetamol, when doctor prescribed only
paracetamol with no specific strength.
4. Dosage form of prescribed drug:
 Various drugs are available in more than one dosage
form in market. Such as liquid, tablet and
suppositories.
 Hence it is necessary to mention dosage form, to
avoid confusion.

42. 5. Dose:
 It’s a frequency of drug to be taken.
 It is very necessary to explain, when dose given to
the pediatrics patient.
Eg: sustained release drugs should be taken every
four hours instead of taking two or three time a day.
6. Instruction for the patient:
 If instruction for patient will omitted, may chance of
happening any confusion.

43.  Hence, necessary to clearly give all instruction such
as quantity to be taken, frequency, route and timing
of administration.
7. Incompatibilities:
 By pharmacist, it is necessary to find out the
incompatibility in prescribed prescription in order to
avoid harm effect to patient.
Eg: certain antibiotic should not taken with meal,
since decrease the absorption of drug.

44.  R. M. Mehta, pharmaceutics-II, second adition-
2003,reprint-2010,vallabh prakashan. Pg. No. 01-13
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