CALCULATING

ORAL DRUG
DOSAGES
ORAL DRUGS
These substances which are administered
orally can be in the form of tablet,
capsule, or liquid. Oral drugs are mostly
available in a limited number of strengths
or concentrations. It is, therefore, very
important that you have the skill to
calculate prescribed dosages for different
drug forms.
The ORAL drugs:

CAPSULE TABLET LIQUID

Interpreting Oral Drug Labels
For you to administer an oral drug
safely, you must make sure that it is
the correct drug with the right
dosage. Therefore, it is very vital
that you would be able to read and
interpret oral drug labels.
1. Identify the Drug Name
Know the difference between the
brand name and generic name.
Verify the generic name first. If the
drug has two names, the generic
name usually appears in lowercase
print and sometimes in parentheses.
1. Identify the Drug Name
The generic names are the active
ingredients in the medicine.
Whether the brand name of
generic name is used, be very
careful when reading the label
to avoid errors.
Important!
Pay attention to the active, or generic
name, since too much of an active
ingredient can be harmful if you take
more than one product with the
same active ingredient without
knowing it.
2. See the Dosage Strength
After identifying the drug
name, look for the dose
strength on the label.
Pay close attention to the
labels of two same drugs which
may look exactly alike aside
from that of the dose strength.
One of them might indicate
125mg and the other one is
250mg. Be keen in checking
the dose strength because it
forms part of the dosage
calculation.
3. Check the Expiration Date
You also have to check the expiry date. It is a vital
information which is sometimes overlooked.
Tip!

For best shelf life, store all

medications in a cool, dry
place.
Calculating Drug Dosages

Most of the time, you will use ratios in

proportion to compute for drug
dosages. At this point in time, you
should already be familiar in dealing
with the equation using ratios in
proportions.
Rules in Calculating Drug Dosages

Remember the rules to accurately calculate drug

dosages and eliminate errors as well.

1. Use the correct units of measure to avoid errors

in calculating doses.
2. Be careful in placing decimal and zero.
3. Double-check strange answers.
Example No. 1

How many ml of a medicine are in two bottles if

one bottle has 60 ml?

Step 1. Prepare the equation by using ratios in

proportion.

1 bottle : 60 ml :: 2 bottles : X
Example No. 1

Step 2: Start with the solution by

considering that the product of the
means is equivalent to the product of the
extremes. Means being the inner items
and extremes being the external items.

60 ml x 2 bottles = 1 bottle x X
Example No. 1
Step 3: Solve for the value of X. In the given
problem, the value of X refers to

60 ml x 2 bottles = 1 bottle x X

120 ml = 1 X

Or X = 120 ml Therefore, the 2 bottles

contain 120ml of medicine.
Example No. 1
Step 4: Double check your work by
completing the equation using ratios
in proportion.

1 bottle : 60 ml :: 2 bottles : 120 ml

Example No. 2
How many mg of a drug are in 4 capsules if
3 capsules contain 1500 mg?

Equation:

3 capsules : 1500 mg :: 4 capsules : X

Example No. 2
Solution:

1500 mg x 4 capsules = 3 capsules x X

6000 mg = 3 X

X = 6000 mg / 3

X = 2000 mg
Example No. 2
Complete Equation:

3 capsules : 1500 mg :: 4 capsules : 2000 mg

TAKE NOTE!
✓ Always read the drug labels carefully.
✓ Identify the difference between the brand
and generic name.
✓ Paying close attention to the dosage
strength is very vital in calculating the
dosage for oral drugs.
✓ Expiry date is an important information
as well in interpreting the drug labels.