A patent/client is given 500 mg of an oral antibiotic at 12 noon. The physician prescribes the drug, every 6 hours, based on the drug's half-life of 30 minutes. What percent of the drug would be available in the patient/client's bloodstream at 2:00 pm?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The half-life is the time required for half of the drug to be excreted. If a drug's half-life is 30 minutes, then after 30 minutes, only half of the dose is still therapeutic. After 30 more minutes, only half of the prior dose is therapeutic. Therefore, if a drug with a half-life of 30 minutes is given at 12 noon, then 30 minutes later at 12:30 pm, 50% is available. At 1:00 pm, 25% is available; at 1:30 pm, 12.5% is available; and at 2:00 pm, only 6.25% of the drug remains.

A Patent/client Is Given 500 Mg of an Oral Antibiotic