pill-in-the-pocket

(used before a noun) Having prescription medication on hand so as to treat an illness as soon as one or more symptoms present themselves. (Sometimes not hyphenated and put in quotation marks instead.) Doctors are hopeful that a pill-in-the-pocket approach might be effective in managing this patient's paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, if he takes one dose of the trial drug at the onset of palpitations. While it removes the necessity for patients to remember their pill every day, "pill in the pocket" systems of treatment are limited by the fact that patients must have their medication with them at all times.

See also:

References in periodicals archive

The feasibility of this "pill-in-the-pocket" approach was assessed in a study of 210 patients with mild or no heart disease whose AF episodes were infrequent and well-tolerated but lasted long enough to prompt the patients to go to emergency rooms.

Take-along pill for atrial fibrillation

All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional.