new student: Just a few questions.

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If you do not have dicloxacillin, can you substitute cloxacillin?

and

If you give a patient dicloxacillin p.o. at 8:00AM, at what time would her blood level peak?

also, if anyone has this answer, can you tell me where you found them? I've searched online and in my books.

thank you.

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Specializes in M/S, Tele, Sub (stepdown), Hospice.

You can check with the pharmacy but I don't think you can ever substitute anything without an MD order.

Below is from my med book on dicloxacillin...

PHARMACOKINETICS

Peak 1 hr; duration 4-6 hr; half-life 30-60 min

(Skidmore-Roth, Linda. Mosby's Nursing Drug Reference, 22nd Edition. Mosby, 062008.).

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Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.

if you do not have dicloxacillin, can you substitute cloxacillin?

i wouldn't and a competent nurse wouldn't. these are 2 drugs that sound the same but are two generically different drugs. if you do not have dicloxacillin on hand, call the doctor and tell him you do not have the drug; is there something else he would like to order? for a nurse to take it upon themself to substitute a different drug would be
beyond the scope of their license
,
failure to follow a physician's order
,
and a medication error
because the drug ordered by the doctor was
not
the drug that was given to the patient.

if you give a patient dicloxacillin p.o. at 8:00am, at what time would her blood level peak?

it would peak at 9 am. my nursing drug reference (page 356,
2007 mosby's nursing drug reference
) states that this drug peaks in 1 hour and duration of effect is 4 to 6 hours. it is metabolized in the liver and excreted in the urine. you can also find this same information on
drugs.com
for this drug under the section for its "pharmacokinetics":
http://www.drugs.com/pro/dicloxacillin.html

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