Ms.

Ryan
MCATC
Mecial Math
2015-2016
• An old system of measurement
• First used by apothecaries (early pharmacists) and moved
from Europe to colonial America
• Household system evolved from the apothecary system
• Older medications are still measured in apothecary units

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• Dram – common unit of volume in the apothecary

• Grain (gr) – basic unit

• Minim – common unit of volume

• Ounce – fluid ounces of volume

• Unit (USP Unit) – amount of medication to produce an effect

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The basic unit of weight is the grain (gr).
ERROR ALERT!
Do not confuse grains and grams.
• grains (gr)
• grams (g)
• 1 gr = 60 mg = 0.06 g

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The three common units of volume are
minim ( )
dram ( )
ounce ( )
ERROR ALERT!
• Do not confuse the symbols for drams and ounces.
• 1 ounce ( ) = 8 drams ( )

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• Apothecary ounce is used in the United States.
• 8 ounces to a cup is commonly used in the home to measure
liquids.
• The dram is most frequently used to abbreviate
teaspoonful which is nearly the same volume.

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When writing a value in the apothecary
system:
1. If a value is less than 1, write it as a fraction.
2. Unless the value is one-half, write it as the abbreviation ss.
3. Write the values with lowercase Roman numerals.
4. Write the abbreviation, symbol or unit before the quantity.

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1. Write four grains using apothecary notation.

gr iv or gr iv
2. Write two and one-half grains using
apothecary notation.
gr iiss
3. Write twelve ounces using apothecary
notation. xii
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• Used in homes, particularly in kitchens, in the United States.
• The units of household measure for volume include teaspoonful,
tablespoonful, cup, pint, quart, and gallon.
• The units of household measure for weight are pounds and ounces.
• Measuring volume using the household measure is less accurate than
using other systems because the measuring utensils can vary in size.
• Nevertheless, household volume measure may be used in community
pharmacy practice when dispensing drugs that will be administered
in the patient’s home because patients may have other measuring
devices at home.
• Labels instructing patients on how to take a medication often use
household measure units for this reason.
• It is important to note that the fluid ounce is the same in household
and in apothecary (pharmacy) volume measure.
• However, the ounces used to signify weight are different.
• There are 12 oz in an apothecary pound, while there are 16 oz in
a household pound.
• The household pound is the more commonly used equivalence.
• Apothecary ounces = household ounces
• Neither bases on multiples of 10

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Unit of Abbreviations
Measurement

drop gt or gtt (plural)

teaspoon tsp or t
tablespoon tbsp or T
ounce oz or
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Unit of Abbreviation
Measurement
cup c
pint pt
quart qt
gallon gal
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Write the quantity in Arabic numerals before the abbreviation for
the unit.
• Example: Write six drops using household notation.
• 6 gtt
• Example: Write twelve ounces using household notation.
• 12 oz

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drop (gtt) 1 drop = 1 minim
teaspoon 1 teaspoon = 60 drops
(tsp or t)
tablespoon 1 tablespoon = 3 teaspoons
(T)
ounce (oz) 1 ounce = 2
tablespoons

cup (c) 1 cup = 8 ounces

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• Milliequivalents (mEq)
• The mEq is defined as 1 of an equivalent weight of a chemical.
1000
• Sodium and potassium are often measured in mEq.

• USP Units (U)

• Medications such as insulin, heparin, and penicillin are
measured in units (U).
• Size of the Unit varies for each drug.

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• When calculating drug dosages, you must often convert among
the metric, apothecary, and household systems.
• You need to know how the measure of a quantity in one system
compares to its measure in another system.
1 tsp = 5 mL = 5 cc

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