We are all aware of the importance of knowing which medicine to use to alleviate the symptoms of a disease. But not only this fact has significant meaning in the treatment of various ailments. How to find out the exact dosage of a medicine? This is the main question that not everyone knows the exact answer to. This is very important, since, for example, a child’s body may inadequately respond to excessive intake of a particular drug.
What is the dosage of medication?
First of all, you need to understand what drugs are. These are the drugs that a person uses to prevent and treat various diseases. Depending on the purpose of the medicine, it can be obtained from the tissues and organs of animal and human, plant and mineral raw materials.
This contributes to its better absorption in the human body. Medicines are available in various
forms: tablets, syrups, tinctures, solutions and other options. There are several types of drugs: general purpose (treat everyday diseases, for example, viruses and colds), potent (used to prevent serious diseases, such as epilepsy attacks), poisonous (for example, treatment of various types of tumors).
Each medication always has instructions that clearly indicate the dose of the drug you want to start taking. Of course, sometimes experienced doctors write a prescription for taking a medicine that differs from its instructions. And this is a possible situation, because the doctor knows better the symptoms of your disease, your weight and age, which means that he will prescribe treatment for you more precisely.
Terms used when setting the drug dose of any drug
The dosage of a drug is, in fact, their purpose in a prescribed amount (dose, if it comes to tablets, syrups, tinctures, etc.) or in the right concentration (when we talk about inhalation, i.e. the ability to mix the medicine with a specific solution).
Most often, doctors indicate the unit of measure of a portion of the drug in grams or milligrams (micrograms and more). If you do not know how to find out the exact dosage of a medicine, you should pay attention to the following concepts:
- course dose: the amount of medication that must be taken for a certain time to get rid of all the symptoms of the disease (say, the course is usually 3, 5, 10, 14, 21 days or several months - it all depends on the medication). This is very important when taking antibiotics, since non-compliance with the course dose when using them leads to the fact that the human body develops immunity to them, and they will not bring any benefit in treatment;
- therapeutic dose, i.e. the amount of medicine, which, according to the doctor, will lead to the full recovery of the patient;
- daily dose - the volume of the drug that you should use during the day (24 hours);
- single dose: the amount of the therapeutic substance that the patient needs to drink at one time.
It is important to note that there are concepts of a higher single dose and a higher daily dose, after which a person will not have side effects. The following therapeutic doses of drugs are available:
- maximum: can have an irreversible detrimental effect on the body, which will ultimately lead to death;
- medium: the value between the maximum and minimum;
- minimum: a dose below the norm, which will not have any effect on the disease.
How to measure the dose of a drug?
Often people wonder about how to calculate the dosage of a medicine, having at hand the means at hand (spoons, measuring cups). There are generally accepted measures of fluid volume that can be used in this case:
- 1 faceted glass - 200 ml (includes 40 tsp, 20 dessert spoons, 16 tbsp);
- 1 tbsp - 15 ml (includes 3 tsp);
- 1 dessert spoon - 10 ml (includes 2 tsp);
- 1 tsp - 5 ml (the smallest measured dose).
The dose of drugs can be correctly calculated using the devices that come with the kit, for example: measuring cups, syringes, dispensers, pipettes, dispensers, spoons, dispensers.
They can easily measure the necessary liquid medicine, or pour in the necessary medicinal powder. Such dispensers are usually used at home with self-treatment. As a rule, they are able to measure therapeutic agents in liquid form in the range from 2.5 ml to 60 ml. Of course, in hospitals it is considered more convenient to use drugs in other forms (for example, liquid - through a dropper), i.e. when doctors can easily track the rate of drug administration, its absorption by the patient’s body and, of course, the effect of the appropriate treatment.
How much medicinal substance is included in the solution or tincture?
To answer the seemingly simple question of how to find out the exact dosage of a medicine, you need to do the following calculations:
- Often, liquid medications are taken with a regular teaspoon, the volume of which, as mentioned above, is 5 ml. For example, your doctor prescribes a medicine in the form of a syrup. On its packaging the following ratio is indicated, which, at times, introduces everyone into confusion: 15 mg / 5 ml. Everything is simple here: this means that 1 tsp. the medicine will contain 15 mg of this syrup. If a single dose of medication specifically for you is 45 mg, then, then you should drink 3 tsp in 1 dose. syrup.
- Sometimes, manufacturers indicate how much of the main active substance of a liquid medicine is contained in the entire volume, for example, syrup. Say, on the package it is indicated that the active substance is 60 mg, and the volume of the whole solution is 120 ml. We consider how much it will be contained in 1 ml: 60 mg / 120 ml = 0.5 mg / 1 ml. And if 1 tsp. contains 5 ml: 5 ml x 0.5 mg / ml = 2.5 mg of the active substance in 1 tsp. Based on this, we calculate our own daily dose of the drug.
- It happens that on the packaging of the drug indicate the ratio of the active substance to 100 mg or 100 ml. It is necessary to calculate everything here, as indicated above.
What affects the dose of medication?
The drug dosage table (i.e. all information about the dose of the drug) usually includes the patient’s age, weight, and sometimes gender.
The main thing is for a competent specialist to take into account all the factors affecting the intake of a drug:
- age and gender of the patient;
- the presence or absence of chronic diseases;
- taking or not taking other medications, along with the prescribed drug;
- severity and duration of the disease.
Anyone will understand that a person with a small weight needs a lower dose of the drug compared to a person with a larger volume. Or, for example, men have a special metabolism, so the dose of the drug for them is usually greater than for women. That is why the instructions for the medicine indicate the average therapeutic dose so that the attending physician himself can determine the required amount of the drug, specifically for you.
Calculation of the dose of medication for children
The dosage of drugs in pediatrics is a moot point. Some doctors recommend calculating it based on the dose of a similar medicine for an adult.
But many are not inclined to trust this system, because the mass of the child is much less than an adult, and their metabolism is much faster. Doctors say that a growing body is more sensitive to various kinds of drugs. For example, children are not characterized by the use of alcohol, drugs, nicotine, which are often part of medicines. And their negative influence is most noticeable on a small organism. Therefore, the dosage of medicines for children is calculated based on data on the baby's body weight (1 kg), body surface area (1 sq. M), and the number of years of his life.
You also need to understand that the reaction to the same medicine in different children can be completely different. It all depends on the child’s genetic predisposition to diseases, the presence of chronic diseases and much more. Often, the effectiveness of the drug is regulated by reducing or increasing its dose. It is important for inexperienced parents to know that the route of their administration (oral, rectal, intramuscular, subcutaneous, intravenous) also has a direct effect on effectiveness. A serving of any medicine for children is usually calculated in two specific ways:
- based on the weight of the child: per 1 kg;
- based on the age of the child: the age is indicated (before or after what year can the medicine be given to the baby).
If you use drugs that are available for adults, then per child, you must follow the doses, which are presented in the form of a summary. Drug dosage table:
| Child age | Percentage of drug relative to adult dose |
| up to 6 months | 1/10 - 1/8 |
| 6 months - 12 months | 1/8 - 1/7 |
| 12 months - 24 months | 1/7 - 1/6 |
| 24 months -3 years | 1/6 - 1/5 |
| 3-4 years | 1/5 - 1/4 |
| 4-6 years old | 1/4 - 1/3 |
| 6-8 years old | 1/3 - 1/2 |
| 8-10 years | 1/2 - 3/4 |
| 10-14 years old | 3/4 - 5/6 |
| 14-18 years old | 5/6 - 1 |
Of course, it is best to use drugs manufactured specifically for young children when treating a child. First, manufacturers, producing exactly these drugs, comply with much more requirements for product quality. Secondly, it is very difficult to choose and make the right dose of a medicine, for example, from a similar tablet for an adult. Sometimes the active substance there is more than what the child actually needs to treat the disease.
Calculation of the dose of medication for adults
In principle, medications for adults should be taken on the basis of the instructions that accompany them. The main thing at the same time is to observe the following rules and not to deviate from them:
- carefully follow the doctor’s prescriptions, do not self-medicate;
- it is fundamentally important to correctly calculate a single, daily and course dose of any drug, based on the weight and gender of an adult;
- buy medicines only in verified places so as not to purchase a fake.
Remember that any medicine is, first of all, a chemical compound that can bring your health not only benefits in the form of recovery, but also cause significant harm if used improperly.
Prescription drug supplement: is it needed?
How to find out the exact dosage of a medicine when applying it for the first time? The recipe, which is usually attached to each drug, will definitely help you with this. There, in addition to the medicinal properties of the medicine, a single, daily dose is indicated, as well as a dose for the course of taking the drug. Proper administration of the drug affects the duration and effectiveness of the patient’s recovery process. It is important to know that sometimes doctors underestimate the course dose of a drug. If such a discrepancy is found in the appointment of a specialist and the prescription attached to the medicine, it is worth asking the appropriate question to him. Indeed, often the dose of drugs directly depends on the weight of a person, the presence of chronic diseases, age, etc. And the doctor’s task in this case is to correctly regulate it.
Nebulizer and doses of drugs to it
As you know, scientific progress does not stand still, and more recently, a nebulizer, an excellent apparatus for treating diseases of the nasal cavity and throat in children and adults, has become known.
As the patients themselves note, the results from treatment with this device are simply excellent: firstly, it takes much less time to completely get rid of the signs of the disease; secondly, you spend much less money on the treatment process itself.
Just remember, self-medication is not necessary here, medications and dosages for a nebulizer should be prescribed by an experienced doctor. The meaning of his work is as follows: you pour the necessary preparation into a special container, mixing it in certain proportions with saline, and breathe the formed vapor (which is created due to the operation of the compressor or ultrasound). Thus, the medicine is distributed over the pharynx or nasal cavity and has a positive effect on their treatment. It is important to know the medications and dosages for the nebulizer that are used in modern devices:
- sodium chloride solution (serves only as a solvent for the drug);
- Berodual solution (expands the bronchi);
- Pulmicort suspension (dries the nasal mucosa with a severe cold);
- alcohol solution of chlorophyllipt: relieves coughing attacks and removes sputum.
There are a lot of drugs that are used in modern nebulizers. It is important to understand what dosage of medication for inhalation is necessary in a particular case.
Overdose of drugs - is it life threatening?
I would like to note that such situations arise quite often in everyday life. People, without reading the instructions, take, as it seems to them, the normal amount of a drug. They immediately experience the following symptoms: nausea, dizziness, headache, weakness, involuntary muscle contraction.
All this can be fatal. To correct the situation in a short time, urgently need to induce vomiting, rinse the stomach of the patient and seek help from a medical institution. While you wait for an ambulance, drink strong black tea, but not milk, this can cause an even stronger effect of intoxication. To avoid such situations, you need to understand what the dosage of drugs is, and it must be observed.
It is important to realize that when using this or that medicine, you use certain chemicals that, in addition to benefit, can cause significant harm. Since even with a minimal overdose, they turn into poison, which can lead to disastrous consequences. This is especially true for young patients, for whose lives their parents are primarily responsible. Therefore, it is necessary to consult a doctor before taking this or that drug (especially when it comes to children), calculate its correct dose and in no case deviate from this value.