Jalisa asked
What does take two tablets by mouth once mean on my prescription?
At a glance
- Instructions written on the label of your prescription come from what your doctor specifies on your prescription.
- By writing “Take two tablets by mouth once” your doctor may just want you to take two tablets by mouth at the same time as a one-time dose. It could really be that simple.
- If your label contains any other words that would indicate a frequency of administration then this may mean you need to repeat taking two tablets at the same time again.
- The best thing to do if you ever have questions about how to use your medication correctly is to call your doctor or pharmacist to clarify
Answer
The instructions your doctor, or other prescribers, specify on your prescription are called the “Sig”. Sig is short for the Latin word “signeture” which means “let it be labeled.”
When your prescription is received at a pharmacy, the pharmacist reviews it and will input the doctor’s instructions into the pharmacy’s dispensing system that generates your prescription label.
Sometimes, the pharmacist may make minor changes to these instructions, but this is usually because pharmacy software requires the instructions to be written in a standard format. However, if a pharmacist notices something out of the ordinary they will usually call your doctor or prescriber to clarify.
By writing “Take two tablets by mouth once” your doctor may just want you to take two tablets by mouth at the same time as a one-time dose. It could really be that simple.
However, if there are other words present on your label that would indicate a frequency of administration, such as the words “daily” or “every day” then you would take two tablets at the same time and repeat this every day.
The best thing to do in this case is to call your doctor or pharmacist to clarify. Both your doctor and pharmacist will be able to tell you whether this is a one-time dose or a situation where you would need to repeat dosing.
