Question

Using prednisone 5 mg tablets, how many tablets should be dispensed for the following prescription: prednisone 20 mg b.i.d. X2, 10 mg b.i.d. for 2, 5 mg t.i.d. for 3 days, 5 mg b.i.d. for 2, 2.5 mg b.i.d. for 2?

1) 27
2) 39
3) 43
4) 62

Answer 1

To find the number of prednisone 5 mg tablets required, we need to calculate the total dosage for each specified period and divide it by the dosage per tablet. Option 2) 39 tablets is the correct answer.

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine the number of prednisone 5 mg tablets that should be dispensed, we need to calculate the total dosage for each specified period and divide it by the dosage per tablet. For the first period (prednisone 20 mg b.i.d. for 2 days), the total dosage is 20 mg x 2 times a day x 2 days = 80 mg. For the second period (prednisone 10 mg b.i.d. for 2 days), the total dosage is 10 mg x 2 times a day x 2 days = 40 mg. For the third period (prednisone 5 mg t.i.d. for 3 days), the total dosage is 5 mg x 3 times a day x 3 days = 45 mg. For the fourth period (prednisone 5 mg b.i.d. for 2 days), the total dosage is 5 mg x 2 times a day x 2 days = 20 mg. For the fifth period (prednisone 2.5 mg b.i.d. for 2 days), the total dosage is 2.5 mg x 2 times a day x 2 days = 10 mg. Summing up all the dosages, we have 80 mg + 40 mg + 45 mg + 20 mg + 10 mg = 195 mg. Since each tablet is 5 mg, we can divide the total dosage by 5 mg to get the number of tablets needed: 195 mg / 5 mg = 39 tablets. Therefore, option 2) 39 is the correct answer.