Terms Flashcards
dose
quantitative amount administered or taken by a patient for the intended medicinal effect
single dose
the amount taken at one time
daily dose/total dose
the amount taken during the course of therapy
dosage regimen
the schedule of dosing (ex. QID for 10 days)
usual adult dose
the amount that ordinarily produces the medicinal effect intended in the adult patient
usual pediatric dose
similarly defined for the infant or child patient
usual dosage range
the quantitative amounts of the drug that may be prescribed within the guidelines of usual medical practice
median effective dose
the amount that produces the desired intensity of effect in 50% of the individuals tested
median toxic dose
the amount that produces toxic effects in 50% of the individuals tested
loading dose
or priming dose, a larger than usual initial dose may be required to achieve the desired blood drug level
median effective concentration (mec)
the minimum concentration to produce the drug’s desired effects in a patient
minimum toxic concentration (mtc)
the concentration that produces dose-related toxic effects
monotherapy
referred to as the primary drug treatment
adjunctive therapy
additional to or supportive of a different primary treatment
prophylactic doses
administered to protect the patient from contracting a specific disease (ex. vaccines)
dosage forms
contain pharmaceutical ingredients which provide the physical features, stability requirements, and aesthetic characteristics desired for optimal therapeutic effects
example of pharmaceutical ingredients
solvents, vehicles, preservatives, stabilizers, binders, fillers, disintegrants, flavorants
number of doses calculation
number of doses = total quantity/size of dose
size of dose calculation
size of dose = total quantity/number of doses
total quantity calculation
total quantity = # of doses x size of dose
In using the equation, the total quantity and the size of dose must be
in the same unit of measure.
low-dose therapy
the administration of doses that are much smaller than the usual dose of a drug
*Use of Aspirin in 81-mg amounts (rather than the usual dose of 325 mg) to lower the risk of heart attack and clot-related stroke.
high-dose therapy
the administration of doses that are much larger than the usual dose of a drug
*Commonly associated with the chemotherapeutic treatment of cancer
2 types of dosing options
Low-dose therapy and High-dose therapy
fixed-dose combination products
products containing two or more therapeutic agents in fixed-dose combinations
advantages of fixed-dose combination products
two or more drugs may be taken in a single dose which may be more convenient, enhance compliance, and less expensive
disadvantages of fixed-dose combination products
relative inflexibility in dosing compared with individual drug dosing
tablet splitting and crushing
*a number of tablets are scored, or grooved, to allow breaking into approximately equal pieces (usually halves)
*allows dosage flexibility, particularly when a patient is started at a half dose and then is titrated up to a full dosage level
*also enables a patient to take a product at a strength that is not otherwise available
dose measurement
It urges the use of a measuring device that either accompanies the product or is obtained separately and is calibrated to deliver the recommended dose
general dose calculations
calculations for number of doses, size of dose, and total quantity
