The dose of a drug and dosage of the drug are two different terminologies. Dose is defined as the quantity or amount of medicine given by the doctor or taken by the patient at a given period. Dosage is the regimen prescribed by the doctor about how many days and how many times per day the drug is to be taken in specified dose by the patient. The dose is expressed in mg for tablets or gm, micro gm sometimes, ml for syrups or drops for kids syrups. The dose is not fixed for a drug for all conditions, and it changes according to the condition or a disease. It also changes on the age of the patient.
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General Dosing Information
Acetaminophen Injection may be given as a single or repeated dose for the treatment of acute pain or fever. No dose adjustment is required when converting between oral Acetaminophen and Acetaminophen Injection dosing in adults and adolescents who weigh 50 kg and above. Calculated maximum daily dose of Acetaminophen is based on all routes of administration (i.e., intravenous, oral, and rectal) and all products containing Acetaminophen. Exceeding the maximum mg/kg daily dose of Acetaminophen as described in Tables 1 to 3 may result in hepatic injury, including the risk of liver failure and death. To avoid the risk of overdose, ensure that the total amount of Acetaminophen from all routes and from all sources does not exceed the maximum recommended dose.
Recommended
Dosage: Adults and Adolescents
Adults and adolescents weighing 50 kg and over: the recommended dosage of Acetaminophen Injection is 1,000 mg every 6 hours or 650 mg every 4 hours, with a maximum single dose of Acetaminophen Injection of 1,000 mg, a minimum dosing interval of 4 hours, and a maximum daily dose of Acetaminophen of 4,000 mg per day (includes all routes of administration and all Acetaminophen-containing products including combination products).
Adults and adolescents weighing under 50 kg: the recommended dosage of Acetaminophen Injection is 15 mg/kg every 6 hours or 12.5 mg/kg every 4 hours, with a maximum single dose of Acetaminophen Injection of 15 mg/kg, a minimum dosing interval of 4 hours, and a maximum daily dose of Acetaminophen of 75 mg/kg per day (includes all routes of administration and all Acetaminophen-containing products including combination products).
Table 1. Dosing for Adults and Adolescents
Age group
Dose given every 4 hours
Dose given every 6 hours
Maximum single dose
Maximum total daily dose of Acetaminophen (by all routes)
Adults and adolescents (13 years and older) weighing
≥ 50 kg
650 mg
1,000 mg
1,000 mg
4,000 mg in 24 hours
Adults and adolescents (13 years and older) weighing
< 50 kg
12.5 mg/kg
15 mg/kg
15 mg/kg
(up to 750 mg)
75 mg/kg in
24 hours
(up to 3,750 mg)
Recommended
Dosage: Children
Children 2 to 12 years of age: the recommended dosage of Acetaminophen Injection is 15 mg/kg every 6 hours or 12.5 mg/kg every 4 hours, with a maximum single dose of Acetaminophen Injection of 15 mg/kg, a minimum dosing interval of 4 hours, and a maximum daily dose of Acetaminophen of 75 mg/kg per day.
Table 2. Dosing for Children
Age group
Dose given every 4 hours
Dose given every 6 hours
Maximum single dose
Maximum total daily dose of Acetaminophen (by all routes)
Children 2 to 12 years of age
12.5 mg/kg
15 mg/kg
15 mg/kg
(up to 750 mg)
75 mg/kg in
24 hours
(up to 3,750 mg)
Recommended Dosage for Treatment of Fever in Neonates and Infants
Neonates, including premature neonates born at ≥ 32 weeks gestational age, up to 28 days chronological age: the recommended dosage of Acetaminophen is 12.5 mg/kg every 6 hours, to a maximum daily dose of Acetaminophen of 50 mg/kg per day, with a minimum dosing interval of 6 hours.
Infants 29 days to 2 years of age: the recommended dosage of Acetaminophen is 15 mg/kg every 6 hours, to a maximum daily dose of Acetaminophen of 60 mg/kg per day, with a minimum dosing interval of 6 hours.
Table 3. Dosing for Treatment of Fever in Neonates and Infants
Age group
Dose given every 6 hours
Maximum total daily dose of Acetaminophen (by all routes)
Neonates (birth to 28 days)
12.5 mg/kg
50 mg/kg
Infants (29 days to 2 years)
15 mg/kg
60 mg/kg
Instructions for
Intravenous Administration
For adult and adolescent patients weighing ≥ 50 kg requiring 1,000 mg doses of Acetaminophen Injection, administer the dose by inserting a vented intravenous set through the septum of the 100 mL vial. Acetaminophen Injection may be administered without further dilution. Examine the container contents before dose preparation or administering. DO NOT USE if particulate matter or discoloration is observed. Administer the contents of the vial intravenously over 15 minutes. Use aseptic technique when preparing Acetaminophen Injection for intravenous infusion. Do not add other medications to the Acetaminophen Injection vial or infusion device.
For doses less than 1,000 mg, the appropriate dose must be withdrawn from the container and placed into a separate container prior to administration. Using aseptic technique, withdraw the appropriate dose (650 mg or weight-based) from an intact sealed Acetaminophen Injection container and place the measured dose in a separate empty, sterile container (e.g., glass bottle, plastic intravenous container, or syringe) for intravenous infusion to avoid the inadvertent delivery and administration of the total volume of the commercially available container. The entire 100 mL container of Acetaminophen Injection is not intended for use in patients weighing less than 50 kg. Acetaminophen Injection is supplied in a single-dose container and the unused portion must be discarded.
Place small volume pediatric doses up to 60 mL in volume in a syringe and administer over 15 minutes using a syringe pump.
Monitor the end of the infusion in order to prevent the possibility of an air embolism, especially in cases where the Acetaminophen Injection infusion is the primary infusion.
Once the container seal has been penetrated, or the contents transferred to another container, administer the dose of Acetaminophen Injection within 6 hours.
Do not add other medications to the Acetaminophen Injection solution. Diazepam and chlorpromazine hydrochloride are physically incompatible with Acetaminophen Injection, therefore do not administer simultaneously.
What other drugs will affect Acetaminophen?
Ask a doctor or pharmacist if it is safe for you to use Acetaminophen if you are also using any of the following drugs:
an antibiotic, antifungal medicine, sulfa drug, or tuberculosis medicine;
birth control pills or hormone replacement therapy;
blood pressure medication;
cancer medications;
cholesterol-lowering medications such as Lipitor, Niaspan, Zocor, Vytorin, and others;
gout or arthritis medications (including gold injections);
HIV/AIDS medications;
medicines to treat psychiatric disorders;
an NSAID such as Advil, Aleve, Arthrotec, Cataflam, Celebrex, Indocin, Motrin, Naprosyn, Treximet, Voltaren, others; or
seizure medications.
This list is not complete and there may be other drugs that can interact with Acetaminophen. Tell your doctor about all medications you use. This includes prescription, over-the-counter, vitamin, and herbal products. Do not start a new medication without telling your doctor.
Acetaminophen interactions
Interactions are the effects that happen when the drug is taken along with the food or when taken with other medications. Suppose if you are taking a drug Acetaminophen, it may have interactions with specific foods and specific medications. It will not interact with all foods and medications. The interactions vary from drug to drug. You need to be aware of interactions of the medicine you take. Most medications may interact with alcohol, tobacco, so be cautious.
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Acetaminophen is metabolized (eliminated by conversion to other chemicals) by the liver. Therefore drugs that increase the action of liver enzymes that metabolize Acetaminophen [for example, carbamazepine (Tegretol), isoniazid (INH, Nydrazid, Laniazid), rifampin (Rifamate, Rifadin, Rimactane)] reduce the levels of Acetaminophen and may decrease the action of Acetaminophen. Doses of Acetaminophen greater than the recommended doses are toxic to the liver and may result in severe liver damage. The potential for Acetaminophen to harm the liver is increased when it is combined with alcohol or drugs that also harm the liver.
Cholestyramine (Questran) reduces the effect of Acetaminophen by decreasing its absorption into the body from the intestine. Therefore, Acetaminophen should be administered 3 to 4 hours after cholestyramine or one hour before cholestyramine.
Acetaminophen doses greater than 2275 mg per day may increase the blood thinning effect of warfarin (Coumadin) by an unknown mechanism. Therefore, prolonged administration or large doses of Acetaminophen should be avoided during warfarin therapy
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References
DailyMed. "CAFFEINE; ERGOTAMINE TARTRATE: DailyMed provides trustworthy information about marketed drugs in the United States. DailyMed is the official provider of FDA label information (package inserts).". https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailyme... (accessed September 17, 2018).
DailyMed. "ASPIRIN; DIPYRIDAMOLE: DailyMed provides trustworthy information about marketed drugs in the United States. DailyMed is the official provider of FDA label information (package inserts).". https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailyme... (accessed September 17, 2018).
DailyMed. "ACETAMINOPHEN; ASPIRIN; CAFFEINE: DailyMed provides trustworthy information about marketed drugs in the United States. DailyMed is the official provider of FDA label information (package inserts).". https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailyme... (accessed September 17, 2018).
Reviews
The results of a survey conducted on ndrugs.com for Acetaminophen are given in detail below. The results of the survey conducted are based on the impressions and views of the website users and consumers taking Acetaminophen. We implore you to kindly base your medical condition or therapeutic choices on the result or test conducted by a physician or licensed medical practitioners.
User reports
Consumer reported frequency of use
No survey data has been collected yet
3 consumers reported doses
What doses of Acetaminophen drug you have used? The drug can be in various doses. Most anti-diabetic, anti-hypertensive drugs, pain killers, or antibiotics are in different low and high doses and prescribed by the doctors depending on the severity and demand of the condition suffered by the patient. In our reports, ndrugs.com website users used these doses of Acetaminophen drug in following percentages. Very few drugs come in a fixed dose or a single dose. Common conditions, like fever, have almost the same doses, e.g., [acetaminophen, 500mg] of drug used by the patient, even though it is available in various doses.
Users
%
201-500mg
2
66.7%
51-100mg
1
33.3%
Consumer reviews
There are no reviews yet. Be the first to write one!
