Download Drug Administration

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Medication Therapy
Buffy Ryan, RN
© 2011 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
51-2
Preparations
Combinations of drugs with
various ingredients
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Liquid and Semisolid Preparations
• Given by mouth
• Rubbed on the skin
• Dropped into eyes, ears, other parts of
body
• Oral liquids allow rapid absorption of the
drug
• Easier to swallow
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Soluble
•
•
•
•
Able to be dissolved in liquids
May be mixed with water, alcohol, or both
Solutions-the drug is completely dissolved
Suspension-the drug cannot completely
dissolve and tiny particles are suspended
throughout the liquid
© 2011 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Medication Forms and Abbreviations
Classification
Form
Abbreviation
Example
Liquid
Solution
Syrup
Fluidextract
Spirits
Elixir
Fluid
soln
syr
fld ext
sp
elix
fl
Normal saline
Cough syrup
Ipecac
Peppermint
Donnatol
IV solutions
Semiliquid
Tincture
tinct, tr
Iodine
Solid
Capsule
Tablet
cap
tab
Librium
Lanoxin
Semisolid
Suppository
Ointment
supp
oint
Dulcolax
Petroleum jelly
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51-6
Solutions
• Tincture – drug dissolved in solution of alcohol
• Fluidextract-Alcohol extracts from plants, very
concentrated
• Elixir – solution of a drug, alcohol, & water;
usually sweetened & flavored
• Spirit – drug combined with alcohol (evaporates
easily, keep top on tight & stored in dark place)
• Syrup – drug mixed with solution of sugar, water
& flavoring
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51-7
Suspensions
• Emulsion – drug is mixed in solution of fats or oils &
water (must be shaken prior to administering)
• Magmas-heavy particles mixed with water that form a
milky liquid
• Liniments-liquid suspension for external application
• Lotion – drug suspended in water base. Pat onto skin;
external only
• Aerosol-fine spray delivered by an oral inhaler
© 2011 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Solid and Semisolid Preparations
• Ointment – drug mixed with lanolin or petroleum jelly. Usually for
skin but can be sterile for eye.
• Paste-thicker and absorbed more slowly than ointment. Used for
skin protection.
• Powder-fine, dry particles of drugs. May be dissolved in liquid or
used as is. Internal and external uses.
• Tablet – powdered drug pressed into a disc . May be scored with an
indentation so they can be broken .
• Capsule – gelatin capsule that is water soluble. Contains one dose
of medication which may be powder, oil, or liquid.
© 2011 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
51-9
Solid and Semisolid Perparations
• Chewable tablet – powdered drug that has been flavored
& pressed into disc
• Sublingual tablet – designed to dissolve under the
tongue
• Enteric – coated tablet or capsule – prevents drug from
being destroyed by gastric juices (prevents stomach
irritation).
• Sustained release capsule or tablet-contain several
doses of a drug. Coatings dissolve at different rates
• Caplet – oblong tablet with smooth coating for easier
swallowing
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51-10
Solid and Semisolid Preparations
• Troche & Lozenge – candy-like base, dissolve on the
tongue
• Suppository – drug mixed with firm base, like cocoa
butter, that will melt at body temp.
• Transdermal patch – patch that will adhere to skin and
deliver medication through skin
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51-11
Routes of Medication Administration
Route
Meaning
Abbreviation
Buccal
Inside the cheek
Buc
Intradermal
Into the skin
ID
Intramuscular
Into the muscle
IM
Intravenous
Into the vein
IV
Oral
By mouth
PO or po
Rectal
By rectum
R
Subcutaneous
Under skin into fatty
layer
Subcut, SQ, subq
Sublingual
Under the tongue
SL, subling, subl
Topical
On the skin
No abbreviation
Vaginal
By vagina
vag
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51-12
Techniques for Administering Drugs
• Oral
– Slower absorption through GI tract
• Buccal or sublingual
– Buccal – placed between the cheek and gum
– Sublingual – placed under the tongue
– Faster absorption; bypasses GI tract
• GAVAGE – administration of medications through a gastrostomy
tube (G-tube or NG tube)
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51-13
Techniques for Administering Drugs
• Parenteral
– Administration of substance by injection or intravenously
– Fast absorption; bypasses GI tract
– Safety risks
• Rapid administration
• Rapid action
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Techniques for Administering Drugs
• Methods of injection
– Intradermal (ID)
• Into upper layer of skin
• Used for skin tests
– Subcutaneous (sub-q)
• Provides slow, sustained
release and longer
duration of action
• Rotate sites
• Smaller gauge & shorter
needle
– Intramuscular (IM)
•
•
•
•
More rapid absorption
Less irritation of tissue
Larger amount of drug
Z-track method (used
for irritating drugs)
– Intravenous (IV)
• Directly into the
vascular system
• Peripheral or central IV
sites
© 2011 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Techniques for Administering Drugs
• Inhalation – administered through the mouth or nose
• Topical
– Direct application of a drug on the skin
– Transdermal – use of a medication patch that will release
medication slowly and evenly
• Urethral – instill liquid drugs directly into the bladder
• Vaginal and rectal
• Eye or ear – creams, ointments, drops, or irrigations (eye meds
must be labeled “sterile-for ophthalmic use only)
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51-16
Words are the most
powerful drug used by
mankind.
~Rudyard Kipling
© 2011 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.