ESSAY

1. What is dose?
2. Differentiate single dose, daily dose, and divided dose
3. What is a dosage regimen? Give example.
4. What are the different routes of administration?
5. Differentiate Pediatric and Geriatric.

1. ) A dose refers to a specified amount of medication taken at one time. By contrast, the dosage is the
prescribed administration of a specific amount, number, and frequency of doses over a specific period of time. In
other words, a dosage is essentially a quantity think weight of medicine that is delivered at a certain time.
Whereas, the dosage is the dose added to a time-frequency, or the sum of the medication. A dosage advises a
regimen of medications.

2. ) A single-dose or single-use vial is a vial of liquid drug used for parenthetical administration injection or
infusion intended for single use in a single patient. While Daily dose is the total amount of a therapeutic
substance that is to be taken within 24 hours and divided dose means It is a fraction of the total drug quantity to
be given in a set number of doses to reach the full dose, usually within one day. 
3. ) The dosage regimen is the level at which the doses of the prescription are administered. Examples include
2.5 ml twice a day, one tablet three times a day, one injection every four weeks. The estimation of the overall
daily dose is dependent on the dose and the amount of times the dose is given each day. The form of the dosage
is the physical form of a dose of medication.

4. )

- Oral route
This is the most frequently used route for drug administration. When possible, it is the first choice for the
administration of drugs, since it is both convenient and economical. Drugs administered orally are placed in the
mouth and swallowed.

- Sub-lingual/ Buccal route

In this route of administration, the drug is placed under the tongue (sub-lingual route) or between gums and
inner lining of the cheek (buccal route). In both cases, the drug is allowed to dissolve, avoiding swallowing as far
as possible. The drug is rapidly absorbed through the mucosa into circulation, thereby bypassing the portal
circulation and, thus, the first-pass metabolism in the liver.

-Rectal route
Medications are sometimes ordered to be administered by rectal route. The rectal mucosa is capable of
absorbing many soluble drugs into the circulation. Rectal medication may be in suppository form or in liquid form
to be administered as a retention enema.

-Topical route
Drugs are applied topically, that is to the skin or mucous membrane of the eye, ear, nose, mouth, vagina, etc.,
mainly for local action. This route provides a high local concentration of the drug without affecting the general
circulation. However, drugs that are absorbed into the circulation after local administration may then have
systemic effects. Drugs for topical applications are usually available as creams, ointments, liniments, and drops.

-Trans-dermal route
The trans-dermal route is commonly referred to as “the patch” because the medication is contained in a patch
that is absorbed through the skin. Drugs administered through this route must be highly lipophilic. Absorption via
this route is slow but conducive to producing long-lasting effects. Special slow-release matrices in some trans-
dermal patches can maintain steady drug concentrations that approach those of constant IV infusion. Trans-
dermal patches also provide less absorption problems in the gastrointestinal tract that are commonly
experienced by patients who take oral medications.

-Inhalational route/ pulmonary route

Drug delivery by inhalation is a common route, both for local and for systemic actions. This delivery route is
particularly useful for the direct treatment of asthmatic problems, using both powder aerosols (e.g. salmeterol
xinafoate) and pressurized metered-dose aerosols containing the drug in liquefied inert propellant (e.g.
salbutamol sulphate inhaler).

-Injection routes
This is the second commonest route of drug administration. They mainly involve introducing the drug in form of
solution or suspension into the body at various sites and to varying depths using syringe and needle. Thus
administration involves risk of infection, pain, and local irritation.

5.) Pediatrics The branch of medicine that deals with the treatment of children. Geriatrics is the branch
of medicine that focuses on health promotion and the prevention and treatment of disease and
disability in later life. The term itself can be distinguished from gerontology, which is the study of the
aging process itself.