What it means
After a drug name, such as Effexor XR or Keppra XR, XR means extended-release: the dose is released slowly over many hours. In imaging orders and reports, XR is short for an x-rayEKS-rayA picture of the inside of the body made with a small dose of radiation; also called a radiograph.Full entry , such as "XR chest 2 views". Read it in context.
For the nurse
Extended-release tablets and capsules are swallowed whole, never crushed or chewed, because that can release the whole dose at once.
Related terms
x-ray
A picture of the inside of the body made with a small dose of radiation; also called a radiograph.