Unit 44 Calculating Oral Dosage Interpreting Drug Labels

Unit 44 Calculating Oral Dosage

Interpreting Drug Labels • Health care professionals must use extreme caution while preparing medications ordered by a physician. • Correct interpretation of drug labels is essential.

Interpreting Drug Labels • Information shown on the label includes: – – – Drug name Dosage or strength with a unit of measurement Manufacturer name Quantity of medication the container holds Special instructions for care National Drug Code (NDC), which is a universal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) product identifier for human drugs

Interpreting Drug Labels • Health care professionals must read the label carefully before administering any medication. • It is essential to check the name of the drug, the dosage per unit, and any special precautions that must be followed.

Basic Principles of Calculating Oral Dosage • An oral medication is a medication taken by mouth. It is the most common route for administration of medications. • Oral medications are available in solid forms such as tablets, capsules, powders, and lozenges, or liquid forms such as solutions, elixirs, suspensions, and syrups.

Proportional Method of Calculating Oral Dosage • To use the proportional method, all units of measurement must be the same. • When the units of measurement are the same, a proportion is created to represent the information:

Formula Method of Calculating Oral Dosage • To use the formula method, all units of measurement must be the same. • Numbers are then inserted into the formula to find the correct amount of medication:

Calculating Oral Liquid Dosages • To calculate oral liquid amounts, the same procedures are used, but the liquid amount is used in place of the capsule.

Calculating Oral Dosage • Example: A doctor orders 300 milligrams (mg) of Terramycin suspension, an antibiotic. The dosage available contains 0. 1 g per 5 milliliters (m. L). – Known fact: 1 g = 1, 000 mg – Therefore 0. 1 g = 100 mg – Use the formula:

Calculating Oral Dosage – Set up a proportion: 100 mg x X m. L = 5 m. L x 300 mg 100 X = 1, 500 X = 15 – The correct dose is 15 m. L.

Practical Problem • A physician orders Klonopin 1 mg for a patient with hypertension (high blood pressure). • How many tablets should be given?

Practical Problem • Create a proportion and solve: • The patient should be given 2 tablets of Klonopin.