A nurse is preparing to administer amoxicillin 500 mg PO. Available is amoxicillin 250 mg tablets.

How many tablets should the nurse administer?
(Round the answer to the nearest whole number. Use a leading zero if it applies. Do not use a trailing zero.)

Choice A rationale:
Trough levels are the lowest concentration in the patient’s bloodstream, hence they are not the best indicator of the amount of circulating medication.
Choice B rationale:
The term ‘Drug’ is too general and does not specifically refer to the amount of medication in the patient’s bloodstream.
Choice C rationale:
Peak levels are the highest concentration of a drug in the patient’s bloodstream after administration. This is when the amount of the medication in the body is likely to be highest.
Choice D rationale:
Therapeutic levels refer to the range in which a drug is expected to be effective without causing any serious problems to the patient. It does not directly indicate the amount of circulating medication.

Choice A rationale:
The frequency of drug administration doesn’t necessarily determine the therapeutic range.
Choice B rationale:
Protein binding is not directly related to the frequency of drug administration.
Choice C rationale:
Drug A has a longer half-life than drug B. This is because drugs with longer half-lives need to be administered less frequently.
Choice D rationale:
The toxicity of a drug is not determined by the frequency of its administration.