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North Carolina News: Item 2183 - Dispensing Prescription Drugs With Measuring Devices
Reprinted from the April 2009 North Carolina Board of Pharmacy Newsletter.
A Board member recently received a question from a friend about how to properly measure a dose of Vitamin B12 solution for injection. Directions for the patient were to inject 1 milligram intramuscularly every month. The patient expressed confusion on how to measure this dose from a Vitamin B12 solution with a labeled strength of 1,000 micrograms per milliliter. The patient’s syringe was labeled with milliliter doses.
The patient did not know how to measure the correct dose, expressing understandable confusion among milligrams, milliliters, and micrograms. Nor is it reasonable to expect patients readily to understand such measurements or to be able easily to calculate appropriate conversions.
Accordingly, pharmacists should always provide prescription labeling that matches the particular dispensing device used with the drug. For instance, in the above situation, a prescription label stating: “Inject 1 mg intramuscularly each month. Use syringe to measure 1 ml from vial (1 mg dose = 1 ml of 1,000 mcg/ml solution in vial).” Moreover, pharmacists must always explain to patients how to measure the correct dose of a prescription drug dispensed with a measuring device.
