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PHARMACOLOGY

Pharmaceutical Computations: (CLASSWORK !)

Test Your Current Knowledge

SECTION #1
1. A patient is ordered an injection of 80mg of Pethidine. Each stock ampoule 100 mg per 1ml. How
much will you draw up?

2. A patient is prescribed 3g of Sulphadiazine, the stock contains 600mg/5ml. How much

Sulphadiazine should be given to the patient?

3. A patient is prescribed 1L of a Saline solution. The rate is set at 100ml/hr. How long will the
infusion take?

4. How many 300 mg tablets are required for a prescribed dose of 450 mg?

5. A doctor orders Penicillin via Potassium oral suspension 56 mg/kg/day in four doses per day for a
child who weighs 25 kg. The suspension available is 125mg/5ml. What volume should be
administered at each dose?

6. The patient is ordered Amisulpride Tablets. Order is 1200mg Mane, the tablets come in 400mg.
How many tablets do you administer?

7. The patient ordered Coversyl Plus 2.5 mg Mane. Coversyl comes in 5mg Tablets. How many
tablets do you give?

8. A patient experiencing pain is ordered 25 mg of Toradol (Ketorolac Trometamol). The Toradol

comes in 30 mg/1ml. How many mls do you draw up?

9. A 2 year old child is ordered Painstop (120 mg Paracetamol/Codeine Phosphate 5 mg/5ml). The
child is ordered 5 ml Painstop every 6 – 8 Hours. How many mls do you administer?

10. A patient has returned from theatre with Nausea. The PRN order is for Ondansetron IMI. The
order is for 6 mg, the Ondansetron comes in 4 mg/2ml. How many mls do you draw up?

11. Calculate the size of a single dose if a child weighing 20 kg is ordered Flucioxacillin 100
mg/kg/day. 4 doses per day?

12. Calculate the flow rate if 1.2 L is to be infused over 24 hours?

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13. A 5 Year Old Girl is ordered paracetamol stat. The pharmacy guidelines recommend 15 mg/Kg.
The child weighs 25 Kg. Stock is 125 mg/5ml. How many ml will the child receive?

14. A 1000 ml bag of Hartman's is to be infused over 18 hours. What is the flow rate?

15. A patient is ordered antibiotics. A 100mg of Metronidazol in a 100ml. It is to be infused over an

hour how what is the flow rate?

16. A child requires 50 milligrams of Phenobarbitone. If stock ampoules contain 200 mg in 2 ml, how
much will you draw up?

17. What volume is required for the injection if a patient is ordered 500 mg of Capreomycin
Sulphate, and each stock ampoules contains 300 mg/ml?

18. A patient needs 5000 mg of medication. Stock solution contains 1 g per 1ml. What volume is
required?

19. A teenager is prescribed 1000 mg of Chloramphenicol, stock on hand contains 250 mg/10ml in
suspension. Calculate the volume required?

20. How many 25 mg tablets are required for a prescribed dose of 0.05 g?

21. Calculate the size of a single dose if a child weighing 15 kg is ordered Flucioxacillin 100
mg/kg/day. 4 doses per day.

22. 500 ml is to infuse over 5 hour period. Find the flow rate in ml/h?

23. A child weighing 45 kg requires antibiotics which are ordered 75 mg/kg. How much will the child
get in a single day if there are 3 doses a day?

24. An adult is to be administered 500 ml of blood in 3 hours. What is the mls/hr required to
administer in the required time?

25. A 100 ml bag of Metronidazol is to be administered over 30 minutes. What is the mls/hr to
achieve this?

SECTION #2
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1. If 250 mL of a 1:800 (v/v) solution were diluted to 1000 mL, what would be the ratio
strength (v/v)?

ANSWER: 1:3200

1:800 DILUTION FOR 250 mls

1: X DILUTION FOR 1000 mls

1000 / 250 = 4, therefore with a dilution factor of 4, 1:800 X 4 = 1: 3200 !

ALTERNATELY,

1:800 = 1/800 = 0.125

Q1 X C1 = Q2 X C2

250 mls x 0.125% = (1000 mls) x (X)

X = 250 mls x 0.125% / (1000 mls) = 0.03125 %, and

0.03125 % = 0.03125 / 100 = 3200, therefore, ratio is 1:3200 !

2. If 400 mL of a 20% w/v solution were Epinephrine diluted to 2 liters, what would be the per-
centage strength (w/v)?

ANSWER: 4%

Q1 X C1 = Q2 X C2

(400 mls ) x (20%) = (2000 mls) x (X%)

(X%) = (400 mls ) x (20%) / (2000 mls) = 8000 / 2000 = 4 %

3. If 150 mL of a 17% (w/v) concentrate of benzalkonium chloride are diluted to 5 gallons, what
will be the ratio strength the ratio strength (w/v) of the dilution?

ANSWER: 1:742

To solve this problem, you must first find out how many mls are in 5 gallons ?

1 gallon = 3,785.4 mls, therefore 5 gallons = 18,927 mls, and

Q1 X C1 = Q2 X C2

(150 mls) x (17%) = (18927) x (X%)

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(X%) = (150 mls) x (17%) / (18927) = 2550 / 18927 = 0.1347%, therefore,

0.1347% = 100 : 0.1347 = 100 / 0.1347 = 1: 742 !

4. If two tablespoonfuls of povidone iodine solution (10% w/v) were diluted to 1 quart with
purified water, what would be the ratio strength (w/v) of the dilution?

ANSWER: 1 : 315 (w/v)

To solve this problem, you must first do conversions: tablespoons to mls ! => 1 tbs = 15 mls, and
2 tbs = 30 mls, also convert quarts to mls = 1 quart = 946.3 mls

Q1 X C1 = Q2 X C2

(30 mls ) x (10%) = (946.3 mls) x (X%)

(X%) = (30 mls ) x (10%) / (946.3 mls) = 300 / 946.3 = 0.317%

0.317% = 100 : 0.317 = 100 / 0.317 = 1: 315 !

5. A pharmacist adds 10 mL of a 20% (w/v) solution of a drug to 500 mL of D5W for

parenteral infusion. What is the percentage strength of the drug in the infusion
solution?

(a) 2% v/v
(b) 2% w/v
(c) 1.96% w/v
(d) 0.39% w/v

ANSWER: 0.39%

10 ml of a 20% w/v solution is 20 gms / 100 mls

Therefore,

100 mls : 20 gms :: 10 mls : X

X = 2 gms

The entire infusion volume is = 10 mls + 500 mls = 510 mls

Therefore,

510 mls : 2 gms :: 100 mls : X

X = 200 / 510 = 0.3921 = 0.39 %
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6. A blood volume expansion solution contains 6% (w/v) of hetastarch and 0.9% (w/v) of
sodium chloride. How many grams of each agent would be present in 250 mL of the
solution?

ANSWER: 15 gms of hetastarch and 2.25 gms of sodium chloride

6 % w/v means 6 gms / 100 mls

If the total volume is 250 mls, then
100 mls : 6 gms :: 250 mls : X

X = 15 gms of hetastarch

And

0.9 % w/v means 0.9 gms / 100 mls

If the total volume is 250 mls, then

100 mls : 0.9 :: 250 mls : X

X = 2.25 gms of sodium chloride
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SECTION #3
1. A DEA number is assigned to authorized prescribers, which allows them to write
prescriptions for controlled substances. The number portion has 6 digits plus a check digit.
In the following DEA number, what would the check digit be: BC765432__?

A. 1

B. 6

C. 3

D. 9

ANSWER: ** MUST DO MATH ON ALL BUT “D” IS RESPONSE ANSWER !

Step #1: 7 + 5 + 3 = 15
Step #2: 6 + 4 + 2 = 12
Step #3: STEP#2 x 2 = 12 x 2 + 24
STEP#4: STEP#1 + STEP#3 = 15 + 24 = 39

THEREFORE, THE CORRECT ANSWER IS LETTER “D”, SINCE THE LAST DIGIT IS “9”

2. Dr. Johnson is a heart surgeon in Accident, Maryland. One of the DEA numbers below is
assigned to him. Which of the following DEA numbers is valid ?

A. BJ8042345
B. BJ5324126
C. AJ7148424
D. AJ7658431

ANSWER: ** MUST DO MATH ON ALL BUT “B” IS RESPONSE ANSWER !

Step #1: 5+2+1 = 8

Step #2: 3+4+2 = 9
Step #3: STEP#2 x 2 = 9 x 2 + 18
STEP#4: STEP#1 + STEP#3 = 8 + 18 = 26

THEREFORE, THE CORRECT ANSWER IS LETTER “B”

3. Rx: Potassium Chloride 10%

Cherry Syrup q.s. ad 480 mL

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Sig. Tablespoonful b.i.d.

How many milliequivalents of potassium chloride are represented in each prescribed

dose?

ANSWER:

KCL is 10% w/v which means 10 grams in 100 mls

KCL m.w. is 74.5 gms/L by table
Valence = 1
1 Tablespoon = 15 mls

Meq = mg X Valence
------------------
Atomic Weight

THEREFORE, 15 mls dose of 10%  10 / 15 X 15 = 1.5 gms = 1500 mgs

1500 X 1
Meq = ------------- = 20.13
74.5

4. The normal potassium level in the blood plasma is 17 mg% (17 mg/100 mL). Express this
concentration in terms of milliequivalents per liter.

ANSWER:

17 mg% = 17 mg / 100 mL
Expressed per Liter = 17 mg / 100 mL X 10 = 170 mg / 1000 mls
Potassium (K+) = 39.098 = 39 gms / L = 39 mgs / L = 1 Eq = 1 Meq

170 mgs X 1
Meq / L = ----------------- = 4.39 meq / L
39 mgs

5. How many grams of sucrose must be added to 475 mL of water to make a 65% (w/w)
solution?

ANSWER:
100 % - 65 % = 35 %, Therefore

35 475 (65)(475)
--- x ------- = 35X = (65)(475) = X = ------------ = 882.14 gms  35 : 475 :: 65 : X
65 X 35
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6. How many milligrams of magnesium sulfate (MgSO4—m.w. 120) should be added to an

intravenous solution to provide 5 mEq of Mg++ per liter?

ANSWER:
MgSO4—m.w. 120
5 Meq Mg ++ / L
Since Mg++ valence is 2, then 120 / 2 = 60 mgs, and

Meq X Atomic Wt 5 Meq X 60 mgs

Mgs = ------------------------- = ------------------------- = 300 mgs
Valence 2

7. How many milliliters of a 2% w/v solution of ammonium chloride (NH4Cl—m.w. 53.5)

should be administered intravenously to a patient to provide 75 mEq?

ANSWER:
NH4Cl—m.w. 53.5
2% w/v solution = 2 gms / 100 mls = 0.02

Meq X Atomic Wt 75 X 53.5

Mgs / mls = ---------------------------- = --------------- = 200.63 mls
Valence X mgs 1 X 0.02

8.

ANSWER:
222 mgs of C2H3NaO3 (at.wt.82)
15 mgs of MgCl2 (at.wt. 95)
Volume = 100 mls

Express the concentrations in Meq / L

Mgs X valence 222 mgs X 1

Meq = ----------------------- = --------------------- = 2.7 Meq / L
At. Wt. 82

15 mgs X 2
Meq Mg++ = ------------------ = 0.316 Meq / L
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