Pharmacy Roman Numerals Practice

A set of vocabulary flashcards covering basic pharmacy Roman numerals, reading rules, and specific notation customs based on the provided reference sheet.

Roman Numerals in Pharmacy

Traditionally used in handwritten "Sig" directions to denote tablet counts or fluid ounces.

ss

The pharmacy Roman numeral representing the Arabic value of $0.5$ or $\frac{1}{2}$; often written as "ss" tab (half a tablet).

i (or j)

The pharmacy Roman numeral representing the Arabic value of $1$. The lowercase "j" is often used at the end of a series to prevent medication errors.

v

The pharmacy Roman numeral representing the Arabic value of $5$, used in contexts like "v mL" or "v gtts" ($5$ drops).

x

The pharmacy Roman numeral representing the Arabic value of $10$, such as in "Disp: tabs no. xxx" ($30$ tablets).

l

The pharmacy Roman numeral representing the Arabic value of $50$, commonly used in bulk compounding formula batch weights.

c

The pharmacy Roman numeral representing the Arabic value of $100$, such as in "Dispense # C" ($100$ tablets).

d

The pharmacy Roman numeral representing the Arabic value of $500$, rarely seen outside bulk manufacturing records.

m

The pharmacy Roman numeral representing the Arabic value of $1,000$, used for stock container inventory counts.

Rule of Addition

A reading rule stating that if a smaller or equal numeral follows a larger numeral, they are added together (e.g., xx = $20$).

Rule of Subtraction

A reading rule stating that if a smaller numeral is written before a larger numeral, the smaller is subtracted from the larger (e.g., iv = $4$).

Rule of Max Repetition

A rule stating that the same letter should never be repeated more than $3$ times in a row.

xxvii

The Roman numeral representation of the Arabic value $27$, calculated as $10 + 10 + 5 + 1 + 1$.

xiv

The Roman numeral representation of the Arabic value $14$, calculated as $10 + (5 - 1)$.

xliv

The Roman numeral representation of the Arabic value $44$, calculated by breaking it into $40$ $(50 - 10 = \text{XL})$ and $4$ $(5 - 1 = \text{IV})$.

Pharmacy J

A custom where the very last "i" in a series is written as a "j" (e.g., "iij") to prevent a prescription from being altered by adding extra lines.