1. Oral Drug Dosage BCC Pharmacy Tech

2. 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.

3. Patients with difficulty swallowing pills, may have pills crushed using a mortar and pestle or a other device.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. Forms of Medication Caplet Casule Elixir Enteric coated tablet Extract Glycerite Intraocular disk Liniment Lotion Ointment Paste Pill Solution Suppository Suspension Syrup Tablet Tincture Transdermal disk or patch Troche (lozenge)

8. 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

9. 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

10. Alternative Formula Method D A 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. X Q

11. 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 1 st ** 500 mg x 1 capsule 250 mg

12. To do…. Worksheet Practice Evaluate