Question

Tylenol 3 (the trade name of this medication) is ordered, li tablets, q4h, prr. Tylenol 3 contains 30 mg codeine and 325 mg acetominophen per tablet. The patient also has regularly scheduled doses of 325 mg acetominophen ii tablets, ordered bid.

For patient safety, patients are to be limited to 4 g acetominophen from all sources over 24 h
At 2100 h, the patient requests her prn Tylenol 3. She has had both doses of her scheduled acetominophen She has also had her pr doses of Tylenol 3 at 0415h, ooh and 1030h
Is it safe to administer two tablets of Tylenol 3 to this patient at 2100h, per her request?
•Yes, because this will bring her to 3900 mg acetominophen from all sources in the last 24 hours
•No, because she has already had almost 4 g acetominophen from all soutes in the last 24 hours.
•No, because she has already had 10 tablets acetominophen from all sources in the last 24 hours.
•Yes, because she will have had 3250 mg acetaminophen from all sources in the last 24 hours ution 101

Answer 1

It is safe to administer two tablets of Tylenol 3 at 2100h to the patient, as the total acetaminophen intake will be 3900 mg, which is below the maximum 24-hour limit of 4000 mg.

Step-by-step explanation:

When assessing whether it is safe to administer two tablets of Tylenol 3 to a patient at 2100h when she has already taken scheduled doses of acetaminophen and previous doses of Tylenol 3, we need to calculate the total acetaminophen intake over the last 24 hours to ensure it does not exceed the safe limit of 4 grams (4000 mg).

To calculate the total acetaminophen dosage: The patient has taken two doses of 325 mg acetaminophen bid, which totals 650 mg per dose, and since it is twice a day, that adds up to 1300 mg. She also has had three prn doses of Tylenol 3 at 0415h, 0900h, and 1030h. Each tablet of Tylenol 3 contains 325 mg of acetaminophen, and she took two tablets per dose, resulting in 650 mg per dose. Multiplying 650 mg by three doses gives us 1950 mg. Adding the scheduled acetaminophen (1300 mg) and the three prn doses (1950 mg) together totals 3250 mg. Therefore, administering another two tablets of Tylenol 3, which contain a total of 650 mg of acetaminophen, will bring the total intake of acetaminophen to 3900 mg, which is under the 4000 mg limit.

In conclusion, it would be safe to administer the two tablets of Tylenol 3 at 2100h, as this will bring the patient's total acetaminophen intake to 3900 mg, staying below the maximum 24-hour limit of 4000 mg.