Acetaminophen (APAP) Medications

Goal The goal of this presentation is to review the administration of acetaminophen and the importance of avoiding the resident receiving more than 4000mg/day

Objectives At the completion of this presentation the staff will be able to: State the maximum dose of acetaminophen a resident my receive in a day Verbalize the amount of acetaminophen in Tylenol #3 and Norco 10/325 Identify two other combination medications that contain acetaminophen

Acetaminophen Acetaminophen is a pain reliever and a fever reducer. Acetaminophen is used to treat many conditions such as headache, muscle aches, arthritis, backache, toothaches, colds, and fevers.

Acetaminophen Acetaminophen (sometimes abbreviated as APAP) is contained in many combination medicines. Drug Amount of acetaminophen Acetaminophen Extra Strength Tab 500 mg per tablet Regular Strength Tab 325 mg per tablet Acetaminophen Elixir 650 mg per 20.3 ml Percocet Norco 10/325 Norco 7.5/325 Norco 5/325 Tylenol with Codeine #3 300 mg per tablet Tylenol with Codeine elixir 300mg per 12.5 ml Acetaminophen Suppositories 350mg or 650mg per Suppository

Acetaminophen The maximum daily dose of acetaminophen of 4000 mg per day. A day is one calendar day which starts at midnight.

Acetaminophen When giving a resident medication that contains acetaminophen, you need to be aware of the amount of acetaminophen that is contained in that dosage. The acetaminophen amount given within the calendar day must be totaled and assessed to avoid administering over the maximum dose of 4000mg.

Acetaminophen An example would be: The resident has two orders for acetaminophen Tylenol (acetaminophen) 650 mg via G-tube every 4 hours PRN fever Tylenol (acetaminophen) with Codeine #3 one tablet via G-tube every 4 hours PRN pain At 1100 the resident complains of pain but you had given the resident Tylenol 650 mg @ 0900 for a fever, you may not give the resident the Tylenol #3. The physician would have to be notified for a new order for pain relieve with a medication that does not contain acetaminophen.

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