I am having a lot of trouble with the pharmacy calculations is there anyway that someone can explain it in dummy terms?
3. Ordered: ciprofloxacin 500 mg p.o. q12h
On hand: ciprofloxacin 250 mg tablets
Amount to administer: _______________
9. Ordered: Zyloprim 0.25g twice daily
On hand: Zyloprim 100 mg scored tablets
Amount to administer ________
These are the ones that I am having trouble with.
Certainly! I understand that pharmacy calculations can be challenging, but I'll try my best to explain them in simple terms. Let's take a look at the two calculations you provided.
For the first calculation:
3. Ordered: ciprofloxacin 500 mg p.o. q12h
On hand: ciprofloxacin 250 mg tablets
Amount to administer: _______________
To determine the amount of ciprofloxacin to administer, we need to consider the dosage ordered and the strength of the tablets on hand.
Step 1: Start by identifying the strength of the tablets on hand. In this case, we have 250 mg tablets.
Step 2: Determine the desired dosage. The ordered dosage is 500 mg.
Step 3: Calculate the number of tablets required to reach the desired dosage. Since we have 250 mg tablets and we want to administer a total of 500 mg, we can divide the desired dosage by the tablet strength: 500 mg ÷ 250 mg = 2 tablets.
Therefore, for this calculation, the amount to administer would be 2 tablets.
Now let's move on to the second calculation:
9. Ordered: Zyloprim 0.25g twice daily
On hand: Zyloprim 100 mg scored tablets
Amount to administer: ________
Again, we'll follow a similar process to determine the amount to administer.
Step 1: Identify the strength of the tablets on hand. We have 100 mg scored tablets.
Step 2: Determine the desired dosage. The ordered dosage is 0.25 g, which is the same as 250 mg (since 1 gram is equal to 1000 milligrams).
Step 3: Calculate the number of tablets required to reach the desired dosage. Since we have 100 mg tablets and we want to administer a total of 250 mg, we can divide the desired dosage by the tablet strength: 250 mg ÷ 100 mg = 2.5 tablets.
However, we need to consider that the tablets are scored, which means you can break them in half. In this case, you would administer 2 tablets and 1/2 of an additional tablet, which you can calculate as 100 mg ÷ 2 = 50 mg.
So the amount to administer would be 2 tablets and 1/2 tablet (or 50 mg).
I hope this explanation helps simplify the pharmacy calculations for you! Remember to always double-check your calculations and consult with a healthcare professional when dealing with medication administration.