# What does μg mean? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 31, 2005, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-g-mean/337902 "2005-12-31T23:45:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![chefIL11](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@chefIL11](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chefIL11)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2005, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-g-mean/337902/1 "2005-12-31T23:45:44Z")
…medically related? Perhaps in a doctor’s orders. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2005, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-g-mean/337902/2 "2005-12-31T23:49:10Z")
Micrograms. Most people don’t want to be bothered to figure out how to properly type the Greek letter _mu_, so they use the Latin _u_ instead. I see it a lot in electronics, too: uF, microfarads; uH, microhenries, etc. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2005, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-g-mean/337902/3 "2005-12-31T23:49:13Z")
microgram ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2005, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-g-mean/337902/4 "2005-12-31T23:50:24Z")
Oh, that IS a mu in your title. _cleans glasses_ Anyway, my post stands. ---
**Author:** ![Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speaker_for_the_Dead)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2005, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-g-mean/337902/5 "2005-12-31T23:50:41Z")
It stands for “[micrograms](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microgram).” The symbol mg was already taken for “miligrams.” A microgram is one-millionth of a gram. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2005, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-g-mean/337902/6 "2005-12-31T23:50:47Z")
A microgram is one millionth of a gram. ---
**Author:** ![chefIL11](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@chefIL11](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chefIL11)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2005, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-g-mean/337902/7 "2005-12-31T23:54:12Z")
wow… thanks. What about IVP until pulse \> 60/min. What does the \> symbol mean? Is it 60 per minute? In this case is IVP intravenous pyelogram? ---
**Author:** ![feppytweed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/feppytweed/32/4280_2.png) [@feppytweed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/feppytweed)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2005, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-g-mean/337902/8 "2005-12-31T23:57:02Z")
\> means greater than. \< means less than. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2006, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-g-mean/337902/9 "2006-01-01T00:14:05Z")
> [@chefIL11](#): > > wow… thanks. > > What about IVP until pulse \> 60/min. > > What does the \> symbol mean? Is it 60 per minute? In this case is IVP intravenous pyelogram? IVP has many meanings: In Vitro Embryo Production In Vitro Production In Vitro-Produced Infrared Video Pupillography Intravenous Pitocin Intravenous Push Intravenous Pyelogram Intravenous Pyelography Intravenous Urography Intraventricular Pressure Intravesical Pressure Here I’d guess it is intravenous push, pushing say, some atropine to try to increase an overly slow heart rate. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2006, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-g-mean/337902/10 "2006-01-01T00:21:12Z")
> [@Qadgop the Mercotan](#): > > IVP has many meanings: How the heck do you guys keep all that MFI straight? I have enough trouble with things like SPST and SPDT. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2006, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-g-mean/337902/11 "2006-01-01T01:21:45Z")
> [@Q.E.D.](#): > > How the heck do you guys keep all that MFI straight? They’re actually called TLAs. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2006, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-g-mean/337902/12 "2006-01-01T02:17:19Z")
> [@Q.E.D.](#): > > How the heck do you guys keep all that MFI straight? I have enough trouble with things like SPST and SPDT. 😃 When in doubt, I turn to the internet! [http://www.pharma-lexicon.com/](http://www.pharma-lexicon.com/) ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2006, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-g-mean/337902/13 "2006-01-01T03:38:37Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > They’re actually called TLAs. MFIs are Mother-Fucking Initialisms, I think. YADA\* YADA YADA, I know. \*(Yet Another Damned Abbreviation ;)) ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2006, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-g-mean/337902/14 "2006-01-01T09:49:51Z")
> [@Qadgop the Mercotan](#): > > When in doubt, I turn to the internet! > [http://www.pharma-lexicon.com/](http://www.pharma-lexicon.com/) Yeah, me too. But not at 15 bucks a year. Here’s a free list of [Medical Abbreviations](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_medical_abbreviations) ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2006, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-g-mean/337902/15 "2006-01-01T15:30:54Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > MFIs are Mother-Fucking Initialisms, I think. TLAs are Three Letter Acronyms. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2006, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-g-mean/337902/16 "2006-01-01T15:48:11Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > TLAs are Three Letter Acronyms. We should do a whole thread about TLA Acronyms I’ll go first, ATM Machine 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Fridgemagnet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/22d042/32.png) [@Fridgemagnet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fridgemagnet)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2006, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-g-mean/337902/17 "2006-01-01T16:36:47Z")
My doctor keeps giving me drug prescriptions in units of mega-gravities (MG), but fortunately the pharmacist only dispenses in milligrammes (mg), or I’d be a black hole by now. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2006, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-g-mean/337902/18 "2006-01-01T16:50:56Z")
> [@aldiboronti](#): > > Yeah, me too. But not at 15 bucks a year. $15? It works for me for free. Much more flexible than the wiki listing, too ---
**Author:** ![USCDiver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uscdiver/32/354_2.png) [@USCDiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/USCDiver)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2006, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-g-mean/337902/19 "2006-01-01T16:57:30Z")
To the OP, we are encouraged to use _mcg_ for microgram in our prescribing. To **Qadgop** , see you in the next medically related thread. ---
**Author:** ![chefIL11](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@chefIL11](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chefIL11)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2006, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-g-mean/337902/20 "2006-01-01T22:32:16Z")
Well, I see we have doctors in the house. What is the medical term for vomitting? (Fitting question for New Years) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-g-mean/337902.md?page=2)