Dosage Frequency: Frequency of Taking Medicine
How often you should take any medicine is called frequency in respect of medication. For example, your doctor may ask you to take medicine once a day or twice a day.
Your doctor may write this in abbreviations:
| Frequency | Abbreviations | Full Form |
| Once a day | Q.D. | QUAQUE DIE |
| OD | OMNI DIE | |
| Twice daily | B.I.D. OR BD | BIS IN DIE |
| BDS | BIS DIE SUMENDUM | |
| 3 times a day | T.I.D. | TER IN DIE |
| TDS | TER DIE SUMENDUM | |
| 4 times a day | Q.I.D. | QUATER IN DIE |
| Q.D.S. | QUATER DIE SUMENDUS | |
| Every 4 hours | Q.Q.H. | QUATER QUAQUE HORA |
| Every other day | Q.O.D. | QUAQUE ALTERA DIE |
| EOD | EVERY OTHER DAY | |
| Every night | Q.N. | QUAQUE NOCTE |
| Every night at bedtime | Q.H.S. | Q.H.S. |
| Every hour | Q.H. | QUAQUE HORA |
| As needed | P.R.N. | PRO RE NATA |
The doctor should not use abbreviations for advising frequency of taking medicine. The most of health organizations prohibit it for safe medical practice and better understanding for patients.
The frequency of Taking Ayurvedic Medicine
In the most cases, medicines are prescribed for twice daily. Here is a table for the frequency of taking different ayurvedic medicines:
| Medicine Category | Frequency |
| Asava & Arishta | Twice Daily |
| Ayurvedic Arq (Distillate) | Twice Daily |
| Single Herb Churna | 2 to 3 times a day |
| Bhasma & Pishti | Twice Daily |
| Churna (Polyherbal Formulation) | 2 to 3 times a day |
| Ghrita (Ghritam) | Once a day or Twice Daily |
| Guggul | 2 to 3 times a day |
| Ras Rasayana – Herbal Mineral Medicine | Twice Daily |
| Kashayam (Decoction) | Twice Daily |
| Kshaar | Twice Daily |
| Kupipakwa Rasayana | Twice Daily |
| Lauh & Mandoor | Twice Daily |
| Lehyam (Avaleha) | Once a day or Twice Daily |
| Murabba (Marmalade) | Once a day or Twice Daily |
| Sharbat (Squash) | Once a day or Twice Daily |
| Thailam (Medicated Oils) – for internal use | Once a day or Twice Daily |
| Vati & Gutika | 2 to 3 times a day |
Note: The frequency described above may not be always correct. Although it may be applicable to the most of ayurvedic medicines, there might be several exceptions. Please read the individual article for each medicine to know the accurate frequency of taking medicine.
