Definition: A drug dose is the specific amount of medication to be taken at a given time. The dose and time to take the medication are written on a doctor’s prescription or recommended on the label of an over-the-counter medication.
Examples: Glucophage (metformin) is an oral prescription medication commonly used to treat type 2 diabetes. A common dose of Glucophage for people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes is one 500 mg. (the dose) twice a day (the interval).
Each tablet of Tylenol PM contains 500 mg. (the dose) of acetaminophen, for pain relief, and 25 mg. (the dose) of diphenhydramine, a nighttime sleep aid. The drug facts label of this over-the-counter medication recommends that adults and children over age 12 years take 2 tablets at bedtime (the interval).
