Prescription Medication Labels: How to Read

The label on your prescription medication tells you how to correctly take the medicine your healthcare provider has recommended for your treatment plan. It’s very important to understand the information on this label. By taking your medication correctly, you will have the best treatment results.

Why is it important to know how to read a prescription medication label?

Taking medications as prescribed by your healthcare provider helps speed recovery from illnesses and/or manage your diseases. Understanding the parts of a medication label can be difficult. This picture decodes the parts of the prescription label. Learning how to read the label correctly may help reduce the chance of unnecessary visits to the provider's office, emergency room or readmission to the hospital.

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prescription medication label
Medically Reviewed

Last reviewed by a Cleveland Clinic medical professional on 12/22/2020.

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