What is 'Therapeutic Dose' in medical calculation?

[roth_mich]

Hey guys,

I'm studying for my exam and I'm a little bit confused with therapeutic dose's calculation. I have this question:

A child receives 450 mg of Augmentin 3 times a day. His weight: 16 Kg. What is the therapeutic dose?

1. 84

2. 28

3. 30

This is my first encounter with this kind of problem.

Please help me understand the right solution.

Thanks,

Michal.

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

The therapeutic dose is those amounts of the drug where it is enough to be effective but not so much that it becomes toxic. A good drug book should be able to tell you the therapeutic range, which is calculated using the weight. The correct answer will fall between those two numbers.

[Bedside_Life RN]

Your drug book should give you a range specific to the drug in mg/kg/day. For example, 10-15mg/kg/day (note: this is not the therapeutic range, it is simply an example). Also recognize that you may see it as a total DAILY dose. According to the frequency of administration, the daily dosage may be divided into multiple doses throughout a 24 hour period. Don't get these confused as being one in the same.

If you can find the therapeutic range, calculate the lowest therapeutic dosage for mg/kg/day and the highest therapeutic dosage for mg/kg/day. If your medication order (or ordered dosage) falls equal to, or between, these two numbers then the medication is safe to give and therapeutic.

Good Luck!