Question

Metronidazole is an antibiotic that is used orally, intravenously and topically. When compounding a pediatric oral suspension, it is typical to use metronidazole tablets as the source of the API, like in this formulation: 1. (2pts) How many metronidazole 500mg tablets would you need to prepare 8 fluid ounces of this suspension? 2. (2pts) If a pediatric patient takes 1/2 teaspoonful of this oral suspension q8 h, how many milligrams of metronidazole she receive per day?

Answer 1

Without knowing the concentration of the suspension, it is not possible to determine the number of 500mg metronidazole tablets needed for preparation. However, assuming a 50mg/mL concentration, a pediatric patient would receive 375mg of metronidazole per day if taking 1/2 teaspoonful every 8 hours.

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine how many metronidazole 500mg tablets you would need to prepare 8 fluid ounces of a pediatric oral suspension, we need to know the concentration of metronidazole required in the suspension. Without this information, it is not possible to accurately answer the first part of the question. Should this concentration be provided, the calculation would involve converting fluid ounces to milliliters (considering 1 fluid ounce is approximately 29.57 mL), calculating the total amount of metronidazole needed, and then dividing that amount by the strength of each tablet (500mg).

For the second part of the question, if a pediatric patient takes 1/2 teaspoonful (2.5mL) of this oral suspension every 8 hours, which equals 3 doses per day, and assuming the suspension is the standard concentration of 50mg/mL, the patient would receive 125mg per dose (2.5mL x 50mg/mL). Thus, per day the patient would receive a total of 375mg of metronidazole (125mg per dose x 3 doses per day).