medidication dosages

Question

Just as you are recovering, your child falls ill. You know that there have been mistakes in your medication dosages, so you hurriedly scan the Internet to make sure that what the doctor is giving your child is safe. The doctor orders 150 mg of an antibiotic to be given every 6 hours. Your child weighs 30 lb. Your research indicates that 20 – 40 mg/kg/day is the recommended dosage. Is this prescription safe for your child? If not what would a safe dose be?

Answer 1

We need to convert 30 pounds to kg

 

1kg = 2.20462 pounds

 

pounds/(pounds/kg) = kg

 

30/2.20462 = 13.61 kg your child weighs.

 

20 mg per kg = 20(13.61) = 272.2 mg per day on low end

40 mg per kg = 40(13.61) = 544.4 mg per day on high end

 

So your range of recommended dosage per day is 272.2 mg to 544.4 mg

 

The doctor is prescribing 150mg every 6 hours...

There are 24 hours in a day and 24/6 = 4

He is prescribing 150 mg 4 times per day

150(4) = 600 mg per day prescribed.

 

That is a little higher than the recommended dosage.

 

If you take the 150 mg 3 times per day..

150(3) = 450 mg which is in the recommended dosage range.

 

Take the medicine 3 times a day or every 8 hours.