Disclaimer: This article features medical and health topics for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended to replace or serve as medical or professional advice for self-diagnosis, self-treatment, self-medication, or the like for any health-related condition or medical emergency. Make sure to consult a health care or medical professional for proper medical care, diagnosis, or treatment related to your situation. 

Understand what’s on your prescriptions with this guide from Southstar Drug.

A medical prescription or an “Rx” is a kind of letter written by a healthcare professional, usually a physician. When you show a pharmacist this letter, it serves as an authorization to sell you the medicines indicated.

Whether you’re buying from a traditional or an online drugstore, you’re going to need a medical prescription for prescription drugs. This is because these products are controlled substances, which must be taken correctly for them to be safe and effective. If you don’t follow the usage instructions, you may experience unpleasant consequences such as drug dependence or overdose.

That said, it can be a little confusing to read what’s in your prescription. Your doctor will of course explain to you what they’ve written; pharmacists also know what all the abbreviations stand for. However, there are times when you might forget a few details; this makes understanding a medical prescription a valuable skill to have.

Here are some things you need to keep in mind so you can better comprehend what your doctor’s prescription means:

The Parts of Your Prescription

There are distinct parts of a standard medical prescription. These are (1) the doctor information, (2) the patient information, and (3) the drug information.

The doctor information includes the doctor’s name, their license number, as well as the names and contact details of the institutions where they’re affiliated. Meanwhile, the patient information indicates the patient’s name, age, and sex. Other relevant data such as weight and allergies are also indicated, because these will affect the prescription itself.

Last but not least, the drug information will contain the following details:

• The name of the medicine
• The dosage of the medicine
• How often and when to take the medicine
• How to take the medicine properly

For some medications, such as for sleeping pills, your doctor may also write how many times a prescription can be refilled. Once this number has been reached, you cannot use the same prescription again; you have to have another consultation where you will be issued a new one.

There are also times when your doctor will require a specific brand of medicine. They may indicate this by writing “no substitution” or something similar. At the bottom of the prescription, there should be a space for your doctor’s signature and the date.

Nowadays, some medical professionals have electronic or digital prescriptions. You can use these when buying at online drugstores, or your doctor can send them directly to the pharmacy. What’s great about digital prescriptions is that they lower the chance of errors.

Common Abbreviations in Medical Prescriptions

One of the most popular jokes about doctors is that they have horrible handwriting, which makes prescriptions difficult to understand. Of course, not all doctors have “chicken scratch” penmanship. What’s more, you can always ask your doctor to explain the prescription. If there’s something you don’t understand, don’t hesitate to ask for clarifications.

In addition, pharmacists are there to interpret what’s written on your prescription. Still, as mentioned earlier, knowing how to read a medical prescription is definitely useful. This is particularly true if you or a family member has chronic health conditions.

The abbreviations you see in a prescription are derived from Latin words. Here are some of the most common ones you’ll see and what they mean:

• ac - before meals
• pc - after meals
• int - between meals
• hs - at bedtime
• bid - twice a day
• q - every (e.g., q3h is every 3 hours)
• qd - every day
• qod - every other day
• qid - four times a day
• tid - three times a day
• ad lib - as needed
• cap - capsule
• tab - tablet
• gtt - drops
• po - by mouth
• sl - sublingual or under the tongue

You may also see i, ii, iii, or iiii included in the drug information section. This is the number of doses you have to take, whenever you take the medicine. The exact dose—e.g., 1 mg, 1 mL, and the like—will also be indicated. There’s also “ss” which stands for one half.

Medication Safety Tips

Aside from following what’s written in the prescription, there are also other ways to ensure the effectiveness of your treatment. For example, you should always store your medications in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight to maintain stability and potency. There’s no need to refrigerate, unless there’s a specific instruction for it. It’s also inadvisable to store different kinds of tablets or capsules in one bottle, because this can also affect the stability of the medicines.

If the medicines you buy come with cups or spoons, use those to ensure proper dosing. Should your prescription expire before you’re able to finish the course of treatment, dispose of the remaining medication and its container properly. Then, get in touch with your doctor for another consultation and prescription.

Last but certainly not least, all medications have side effects. If you experience any, especially severe ones or those not indicated in the packaging, call your doctor immediately.

With regards to medicines, it’s best to trust your doctor and pharmacists because they have the right education and training. Still, being able to understand a prescription is never a bad thing. At the very least, you’ll be better informed about your health.

To ensure all your prescription meds are new and effective, purchase them online at Southstar Drug. Take advantage of our FREE delivery service if you purchase a total of Php 1,499 and up for Metro Manila, Rizal, and select areas in Pampanga, Cavite, and Batangas. For the remaining provinces, you may enjoy FREE delivery service for purchases worth Php 5,000 and up.

Disclaimer: This article features medical and health topics for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended to replace or serve as medical or professional advice for self-diagnosis, self-treatment, self-medication, or the like for any health-related condition or medical emergency. Make sure to consult a health care or medical professional for proper medical care, diagnosis, or treatment related to your situation. 

Shopping online for health-related products can be challenging, so Southstar Drug shares some tips to help you for your next purchase.

The convenience of online shopping is undeniable. With the wide range of products available through various e-commerce sites, you can buy everything you need and want without leaving the comfort of your home.

What’s more, the kinds of products you can purchase online continue to grow. Before, the selections ranged from groceries and home essentials to electronics and fashion accessories. Now, you can also find and buy medical products online. Just one search of “buy medicine online Philippines” and you’ll be met with hundreds if not thousands of choices.

Of course, purchasing medications and health products from websites requires additional care. If you don’t exercise caution, you might end up with something that can do you more harm than good. Instead of getting better, you might end up endangering your health.

To make sure that you’re getting quality medicines and health products online, keep in mind these 5 tips:

Consult Your Doctor

Whenever you need (or feel like you need) to take medications, it’s best to consult your doctor first and get a proper diagnosis. You may discover that you don’t really have to take medicines for your condition, but rather just let nature take its course. If it turns out that you do need to medicate, then your doctor can provide treatment recommendations that will produce the best results.

Aside from writing you a prescription if needed, your doctor can also tell you what side effects you need to watch out for when taking your medicines. If you’re taking supplements, your doctor can also tell you whether it’s advisable to continue with it or better to stop in the meantime.

With the help of your doctor, you’ll have more information to work with so you can make better decisions when it comes to your health. In addition, you can also save money! The professional fee you pay is definitely worth it when you consider the risks you’ll be able to avoid.

Buy from Reputable Establishments

If you’ve established with your doctor that you need to purchase medicines, the next step you have to take is to look for trustworthy establishments. Fortunately, top drugstores in the country like Southstar Drug already have online counterparts. Thus, you can rest assured that you can purchase quality medicines, health equipment, and similar products.

Don’t take your chances with unfamiliar sellers with unproven reputations. You may end up getting untested products, expired goods, or medicines with dangerous ingredients. For machines like blood pressure monitors, you might not get accurate readings or the equipment might break after just a few uses.

If these situations happen, you might encounter difficulties in getting proper compensation and issue resolution if you dealt with shady establishments.

Look for Well-Known Brands

In addition to buying only from established online drugstores, it’s also important to look for quality brands or those that you already know work for you. For over-the-counter medicines, it’s easy to determine the good ones as they are usually the most popular as well. However, this is not to say that generic medicines are not good or effective. The most important thing is that they work and that they’re safe.

For prescription medications, consult your doctor first before switching brands. In some cases, you might not have other options because there’s only one manufacturer that makes the specific formulation that you need. Don’t immediately buy an alternative online; get the opinion of a qualified health professional before anything else!

Pay Attention to Over-Promising Keywords

In order to sell their products, pharmaceutical manufacturers advertise the benefits of their medicines. They may say that a painkiller can be taken even if you haven’t eaten yet, without causing an upset stomach. This is pretty normal; the problems come when there are promises or claims that are too good to be true.

Pay close attention to keywords like “miracle cure” or other exaggerated declarations of benefits. Even “risk-free” is something to watch out for, as all medications have some form of side effects (even if that side effect is small or negligible). In addition, don’t take medicines just because they’re recommended to you by someone who found them effective. You may not experience the same effects or end up with a worse condition. When in doubt, consult your doctor.

Check the Website’s Security

Once you’ve finally decided to push through with your online purchase of health products, you should verify that the website you chose to buy from is secure. This isn’t a big issue when it comes to established sellers, but it still doesn’t hurt to check the security measures being implemented.

First, check the security protocol of the website. It should have “https” instead of just “http” on the address bar. A padlock icon will also indicate that the website is protected. About payment methods, make sure that you aren’t being asked to send information through email. Rather, they should capture your details on-site where it’s encrypted by their security protocol.

All in all, buying health products online is just like your usual online shopping experience. The main difference is that you should work closely with health professionals so you know you’re in good hands.

You can now conveniently purchase your medicines online at Southstar Drug. Take advantage of our FREE delivery service if you purchase a total of Php 1,499 and up for Metro Manila, Rizal, and select areas in Pampanga, Cavite, and Batangas. For the remaining provinces, you may enjoy FREE delivery service for purchases worth Php 5,000 and up.