What does the abbreviation 'bid' indicate in dosing instructions?

What does the abbreviation 'bid' indicate in dosing instructions?

• A. Twice daily
• B. Three times daily
• C. Once daily
• D. Every other day

Answer: (A)

Bid indicates taking a dose twice in a 24-hour period. It comes from the Latin bis in die, meaning two times per day. In practice, space the doses about 12 hours apart (for example, morning and evening) to keep drug levels more stable. This describes how often to take the medication, not how many pills per dose or the total daily amount. It’s different from three times daily (tid) or four times daily (qid), or once daily. If exact times matter (such as around meals or with other meds), follow the specific instructions given.

Bid indicates taking a dose twice in a 24-hour period. It comes from the Latin bis in die, meaning two times per day. In practice, space the doses about 12 hours apart (for example, morning and evening) to keep drug levels more stable. This describes how often to take the medication, not how many pills per dose or the total daily amount. It’s different from three times daily (tid) or four times daily (qid), or once daily. If exact times matter (such as around meals or with other meds), follow the specific instructions given.