Dictionary

Pharmacology

Drugs, drug classes and the words used to give medications safely.

QDAn old abbreviation for "every day" that is banned because it is easily misread; write "daily" instead.

qhsEvery night at bedtime, from the Latin quaque hora somni.

qnAn abbreviation for "nightly" that ISMP advises against; write "nightly" or "at bedtime."

QODAn abbreviation for "every other day" that must not be used; write "every other day" in full.

quetiapineA second-generation antipsychotic drug used for schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and, with other drugs, depression.

quinineAn antimalarial drug made from the bark of the cinchona tree, taken by mouth for malaria.