DOSING SCHEDULE

Drugs can be dangerous, though, even when they’re meant to improve our health.
Taking them correctly and understanding the right way to administer and taking them
properly can reduce the risks.

Routes of medication administration

There are several different ways drugs can be administered. You’re probably familiar with
injections and pills that you swallow, but medications can be given in many other ways as well.
Routes of medication administration are described in the table below.

Route Explanation
Buccal held inside the cheek
enteral delivered directly into the stomach or intestine (with a G-tube or J-
tube)
inhale breathed in through a tube or mask
infused injected into a vein with an IV line and slowly dripped in over time
intramuscular injected into muscle with a syringe
intrathecal injected into your spine
intravenous injected into a vein or into an IV line
nasal given into the nose by spray or pump
ophthalmic given into the eye by drops, gel, or ointment
oral swallowed by mouth as a tablet, capsule, lozenge, or liquid
otic given by drops into the ear
rectal inserted into the rectum
subcutaneous injected just under the skin
sublingual held under the tongue
topical applied to the skin
transdermal given through a patch placed on the skin

The route used to give a drug depends on three main factors:

 the part of the body being treated
 the way the drug works within the body
 the formula of the drug

For instance, some drugs are destroyed by stomach acid if they’re taken by mouth. So, they
may have to be given by injection instead.

Dosage and timing

It’s important to take only the dosage described in the prescription label or other instructions.
Dosage is carefully determined by your doctor and can be affected by your age, weight, kidney
and liver health, and other health conditions.

ACE Inhibitors Antihypertensive Doses

Name of Drug Starting Dose Maximum Daily Dose

Benazepril (Lotensin) 10 mg daily 80mg
Captopril (Capoten) 25 mg BID or TID 150 mg
Enalapril (Vasotec) 5 mg daily 40 mg
Fosinopril (Monopril) 10 mg daily 40 mg
Lisinopril (Zestril) 10 mg daily 40 mg
Moexipril (Univasc) 7.5 mg daily 60 mg
Perindopril (Aceon) 4 mg daily 16 mg
Ramipril (Altace) 2.5 mg 20 mg
Quinapril (Accupril) 10 to 20 mg daily 80 mg
Trandolapril (Mavik) 1 to 2 mg daily 8 mg
 Teacher’s Insight
The dosage regimen of a drug is necessary to ensure that the patient
is taking the drugs correctly. Hence, the effectiveness and toxicity
of many drugs vary depending on how the patient take it.
As a pharmacist, it is important to educate and counsel well the
patients on how they are going to take the medications and to ensure
that medication adherence is being practiced. In doing so, you are
helping the patient achieve better health outcomes.
Relate to Practice

Most of the time, we take medications based on the instructions being given by the
physician or by the pharmacist especially if it is a prescription drug. But how about if the
patient cannot afford to go to a physician and have chosen to ask a pharmacist for an
advice?

As a pharmacist, we should always be ready in times of situation that the only option
the patient has is to seek your recommendation particularly on treating simple ailments
such as diarrhea or common colds. You must be able to counsel your patients on the
proper dose and schedule of the medications suited for the patient’s condition.