reconstitute antibiotics

[rmn]

Can anyone advise me? When reconstituting cephelexin ( or any powder antibiotic) using WATER, does it mean ordinary tap water, sterilised or what? I'm a first year student getting real grief for just asking the staff nurse on my current placement! Please help!! :imbar

[ktwlpn, LPN]

Originally posted by IamRN

I guess purgatory is a better place to work than my unit then LOL! :roll

IB]

yep-it must be...,I have a big groovy poster right on my medroom wall with the instructions for reconstituting most commonly used meds...I have the latest PDR in there at my fingertips..also the 2004 short version....also a folder supplied by our pharmacy....and as I said-I will check some vials tomorrow but I have never gotten one that did not state exactly how to mix and administer the med-either the label from the manufacturor or the label from the pharmacy...Sounds like abig problem-the dept of health and JACHO would be interested (in the USA) in these places...Med bottles and vial with no dorections? hmmm... I am betting that the directions really were somewhere and in plain site... but overloooked...I love to see new nurses tryo to ferret out info for themselves and use those critical thinking skills....if they have them

[IamRN]

Originally posted by ktwlpn

and as I said-I will check some vials tomorrow but I have never gotten one that did not state exactly how to mix and administer the med-either the label from the manufacturor or the label from the pharmacy...Sounds like abig problem-the dept of health and JACHO would be interested (in the USA) in these places...Med bottles and vial with no dorections? hmmm... I am betting that the directions really were somewhere and in plain site... but overloooked...I love to see new nurses tryo to ferret out info for themselves and use those critical thinking skills....if they have them

Wow, sounds to me like you are assuming an awful lot??? You must know how assumptions can get you in trouble ...back to my earlier reply, later I spoke to colleague about my experience, she related to it. OTOH I have to agree that it is highly irregular, but it does happen.

[flashpoint]

Actually the recon instructiions on PO antibiotics are not very specific. Most just say to mix with x amount of water...some say to mix 1/2 of the water in then add the rest. I'm not sure why ktwlpn had to be quite so nasty when she posted her answer to this question...I sure wouldn't want to ask her anything. It's nurses who answer questions like she did that make students not want to ask questions at all...

I don't disagree that it's better to find out the answer on your own rather than have someone just tell you, but sometimes we all just need a little more direction. Sometimes, I'll find the answer in a book or something and then show it to the student...sigh.