What does QOD mean on a prescription?
QOD means every other day — one dose, then a day off, then the next dose. Because QOD is easily confused with QD, prescriptions should say “every other day” in words.
- Means:
- every other day
- From:
- quaque altera die
- Type:
- How often
- Also written:
- qod, q.o.d., QOD
What it means in practice
Alternate-day dosing is used for medicines with a long half-life or where a daily dose would be too much, such as some steroid tapers. The abbreviation is risky: read as QD it doubles the dose, and read as QID it quadruples it.
Example on a prescription
Prednisone 10 mg PO QOD
Take one 10 mg prednisone tablet by mouth every other day. A safer label would read “take 1 tablet by mouth every other day”.
Commonly confused with
- QDQD is once a day. Mistaking QOD for QD doubles the intended dose.
- QIDQID is four times a day — a very large error if QOD is misread.
Frequently asked questions
What does QOD mean?
Every other day — take a dose, skip a day, then take the next dose.
How is QOD different from QD?
QD is once every day. QOD is once every second day. The two are a documented confusion pair, which is why writing the schedule out is preferred.
Related abbreviations
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This page explains prescription notation for general information. It is not medical advice and does not replace your prescriber or pharmacist. If a label is unclear or differs from what you were told, check with your pharmacy before taking the medicine.