Download Oral Drug Dosage

Oral Drug Dosage
BCC Pharmacy Tech
Oral Drugs…
• Preferred because they are easy to take and
convenient for the patient.
• Oral medications are absorbed through the GI
tract (mostly the small intestine).
• Because of the absorption factor they might
not be effective as other forms of medication.
• Most common form is a tablet.
• Tablets come in many different sizes, shapes
and colors.
• Patients with difficulty swallowing pills, may
have pills crushed using a mortar and pestle or
a other device.
• Tablets may be grooved for ease of
administering only a fraction of the tablet.
Some are scored in half and others are scored
into fourths.
• Some medications can not be crushed and
should be verified.
• These include enteric coated or sustained
released or extended released medications.
• Oral medications may also be supplied in
capsule form.
• A capsule is a hard or soft gelatin that houses
powder, liquid or granular form of a specific
medication.
• Capsules can not divided or crushed.
• Oral medications may also be administered in
liquid form such as an elixir or oral
suspension.
• Oral liquid medications can be measured with
a medication cup, oral syringe or dropper.
Forms of Medication
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Caplet
Casule
Elixir
Enteric coated tablet
Extract
Glycerite
Intraocular disk
Liniment
Lotion Ointment
Paste
Pill
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Solution
Suppository
Suspension
Syrup
Tablet
Tincture
Transdermal disk or patch
Troche (lozenge)
Oral Dosages
• The physician orders ampicillin 0.5 g po four
times a day. The drug is supplied in 250 mg
capsules. How many capsules will the nurse
administer?
• ***The order is in grams and the drug is
supplied in milligrams.
1.) convert 0.5 g to milligrams
1000 mg : 1 g :: x mg : 0.5 g
• 0. 5 g = 500 mg
2. ) use proportion to calculate the amount of
the drug to be given.
250 mg : 1 capsule :: 500 mg : x capsules
3.) How many capsules will be give in 1 day?
2 capsules : 1 dose :: x capsules : 4 dose
Alternative Formula Method
D
A
X
Q
D-desired amount of the medication that has been ordered
A-represents the strength of the medication that is available
Q- represents quantity or amount of the medication that
contains the available strength.
READS: desired over available multiplied by quantity.
• The physician orders ampicillin 0.5 g po four
times a day. The drug is supplied in 250 mg
capsules. How many capsules will the nurse
administer?
• **Convert 1st**
• 500 mg x 1 capsule
250 mg
To do….
• Worksheet
• Practice
• Evaluate