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Does anyone know what 'bd' stands for?

(25 Posts)
Auntieflo Thu 06-Jan-22 19:39:45

I was prescribed some antibiotic capsules and some cream this evening, and picked them up from the pharmacy.
Like a good patient, I read the label, and it stated
"Apply bd" for 7 days.

I didn't know what that meant, so rang the pharmacy to ask.
It evidently means 'twice daily'.
Well, I have learned something today

crazyH Thu 06-Jan-22 19:43:48

I think it means twice daily, but please check with the pharmacy tomorrow

crazyH Thu 06-Jan-22 19:44:27

Sorry, didn’t read your post fully ?

H1954 Thu 06-Jan-22 19:46:12

I have seen bd written on a prescription written up by the GP but never on medication that the pharmacist has made up from the prescription.

midgey Thu 06-Jan-22 19:46:37

Just looked it up….bis die …Latin for twice a day!

Marydoll Thu 06-Jan-22 19:47:09

BD, bis die comes from Latin I think, Auntieflo.
OD. = omni die (every day)
TID =ter in die (thrice daily).

I have no idea why I know this, but I do!

I hope you are feeling better soon! ?

mokryna Thu 06-Jan-22 19:48:03

Breakfast and dinner (meaning evening meal), maybe but I don’t really know, just guessing.

valdali Thu 06-Jan-22 19:50:06

bd= twice daily.

mokryna Thu 06-Jan-22 19:50:39

Sorry Marydoll didn’t see your correct explication before I posted.

Marydoll Thu 06-Jan-22 19:56:49

mokryna

Sorry Marydoll didn’t see your correct explication before I posted.

No problem.
I suspect it's subliminal, as I have been on a multidude of meds for years! grin
I tend to store trivia in my brain, which is of no use to anyone, until occasions like this!

Auntieflo Thu 06-Jan-22 19:57:15

After the girl at the pharmacy had pointed me in the right direction, I did Google it, and found the ' bis die' explanation.
Clever GN's, thanks.
Marydoll, I shall now have those little bits of information, locked into my brain, somewhere, and thanks for your best wishes and flowers.

mrswoo Thu 06-Jan-22 20:07:49

I wouldn’t have a clue if I saw this on a prescription - I would probably think it meant something about taking the medication at bedtime.

A pet hate of mine is the use of abbreviations and jargon in the workplace. Prescriptions, especially, should be made as clear as possible in order to prevent any misunderstandings either by a pharmacist but, more importantly, by the patient.

Patsy70 Thu 06-Jan-22 20:10:46

Twice daily.

Marydoll Thu 06-Jan-22 20:12:18

I may be wrong, but Latin is used for the pharmacist's benefit, not the patient's. The abbreviations are quick to write and universally understood, thus hopefully avoiding errors.

Riverwalk Thu 06-Jan-22 20:19:19

As a nurse I know BD means twice daily - I'm surprised this was written on a dispensed label.

Nana56 Thu 06-Jan-22 20:58:16

Bd is twice day, shouldn't have been on label like that, couldn't have been noticed on final check
Tds is three times day and qds is four times daily.

MiniMoon Thu 06-Jan-22 21:05:35

BD means twice daily.
QID means four times a day.

BlueSky Thu 06-Jan-22 21:21:56

Of course we all now that! confused

downtoearth Thu 06-Jan-22 21:26:28

Omni mane .each morning
Omni nocte each night
OD once daily
BD twice daily
TID three times daily
QID four tmes daily
Ex aqua with water
PRN when required
STAT at once
Ung ointment

nadateturbe Thu 06-Jan-22 21:35:54

Riverwalk

As a nurse I know BD means twice daily - I'm surprised this was written on a dispensed label.

Me too. How many would know what it means?

downtoearth Thu 06-Jan-22 21:43:25

Prescriptions used to be handwritten in latin when I first started dispensing traing in 1970.
They are now printed in easy to read format,occasionally latin abbreviations are used

Happysexagenarian Sat 08-Jan-22 22:43:51

I've come across these abbreviations on prescribed medicines too. why can't they just print it in plain English! It could even be dangerous if someone doesn't understand the dosage.

Calistemon Sat 08-Jan-22 22:52:39

What MaryDoll and downtoearth said (and others) but they really shouldn't use the Latin abbreviations for general public use.

I remember when we were taught Latin at school and were told that learning Latin would be useful if we wanted to enter the medical profession.
However, I really don't know what Caesar crossing the Rubicon had to do with prescribing antibiotics or other medication.

Plain English is fine now.

Newatthis Sun 09-Jan-22 00:39:57

Crikey! Are we to learn Latin now before we can take our meds?

Marydoll Sun 09-Jan-22 07:28:54

Newatthis

Crikey! Are we to learn Latin now before we can take our meds?

None of my many (twenty at the last count) medications have the instructions in Latin on the pharmacy label, I suspect that is the case for most of us.
Surely, as well as the Latin instructions, the instructions will be quite clear in English?
Otherwise, there would be many errors, due to people not understanding. However, I have noticed it written on one off doctor's prescriptions, obviously for the pharmacist's information, not the patient.