An order calls for 2.5mg of a drug to be taken twice daily. If stock is 500mcg/ml, how many teaspoons does the patient need to take daily?

To determine the total daily dosage and how it can be measured in teaspoons, we start with the order of the medication. The patient needs to take 2.5 mg of the drug, and since they are instructed to take it twice daily, we calculate the total daily dosage first:

2.5 mg x 2 = 5 mg daily.

Next, we need to convert this dosage from milligrams to micrograms, given that the stock concentration is in micrograms per milliliter:

5 mg = 5,000 mcg (since 1 mg = 1,000 mcg).

Now that we know the total daily requirement is 5,000 mcg and the stock concentration is 500 mcg/ml, we can find out how many milliliters the patient will need to take to meet this requirement:

5,000 mcg ÷ 500 mcg/ml = 10 ml.

Since the question asks for the amount in teaspoons, we need to convert milliliters to teaspoons. There are approximately 5 ml in 1 teaspoon.

To convert 10 ml to teaspoons:

10 ml ÷ 5 ml/teaspoon = 2 teaspoons.

Therefore, the patient needs to take 2 teaspoons