Question

You’re working in a pharmacy, and are making a table to help with dosage amounts for a certain drug. The recommended dosage is 40 milligrams per 2.2 pounds of body weight, divided into three daily doses and taken every 8 hours. You want entries for children weighing 10 pounds, 15 pounds, and 30 pounds. The drug comes in a 200 mg/5 ml formula. If 1 teaspoon = 5 ml, how many teaspoons are required for each entry? Round your answer to the nearest 14
teaspoon.

Answer 1

To calculate the dosage amounts for each entry, we can use the formula:

Dosage (in mg) = (Body weight in pounds / 2.2 pounds) * 40 mg

Now let's calculate the dosage for each child:

1) For a child weighing 10 pounds:
Dosage (in mg) = (10 pounds / 2.2 pounds) * 40 mg
= (4.54) * 40 mg
= 181.6 mg

As the drug comes in a 200 mg/5 ml formula, we can calculate the number of milliliters needed:
Milliliters = (Dosage in mg / 200 mg) * 5 ml
= (181.6 mg / 200 mg) * 5 ml
= (0.908) * 5 ml
= 4.54 ml

Since 1 teaspoon is equal to 5 ml, the number of teaspoons required is 4.54 ml divided by 5 ml per teaspoon:
Teaspoons = 4.54 ml / 5 ml
= 0.908 teaspoons

Rounded to the nearest 1/4 teaspoon, the number of teaspoons required is approximately 1 teaspoon.

2) For a child weighing 15 pounds:
Dosage (in mg) = (15 pounds / 2.2 pounds) * 40 mg
= (6.82) * 40 mg
= 272.8 mg

Milliliters = (272.8 mg / 200 mg) * 5 ml
= (1.364) * 5 ml
= 6.82 ml

Teaspoons = 6.82 ml / 5 ml
= 1.364 teaspoons

Rounded to the nearest 1/4 teaspoon, the number of teaspoons required is approximately 1.25 teaspoons.

3) For a child weighing 30 pounds:
Dosage (in mg) = (30 pounds / 2.2 pounds) * 40 mg
= (13.64) * 40 mg
= 545.6 mg

Milliliters = (545.6 mg / 200 mg) * 5 ml
= (2.728) * 5 ml
= 13.64 ml

Teaspoons = 13.64 ml / 5 ml
= 2.728 teaspoons

Rounded to the nearest 1/4 teaspoon, the number of teaspoons required is approximately 2.75 teaspoons.