It just gets better

[conuly]

I went to the dentist at noon. I came home, played Tears of the Kingdom (!), took a short nap (I may have stayed up last night waiting for Tears to download...) and then left here around 4 to go to CVS to get my meds.

They had not gotten the prescription.

Called the dentist, he said he'd resend it. Several back and forths later it transpired he'd been calling the wrong CVS. (This isn't entirely on him - as he pointed out, it's a chain, they're supposed to enter it into the system properly so I can pick it up elsewhere if necessary, but it's still a little his fault.) I didn't leave CVS until after 6.

Took the first pill as I left. Now, the instructions say to take two pills stat, then one pill three times daily until they're all gone.

I have two problems with this. First and foremost, there are only 22 pills and that doesn't come out evenly at all. Secondly, when do I take the second dose!?

Comments

[kengr]

I think they mean to take 2 pills *at the same time* when you start. Then you'd take 2 more at seperate times during the first day.

After that 3 pills a day (one at a time) until you run out.

That *does* work out evenly. 4 pills the first day, 3 pills a day for the nexyt 6 days

[conuly]

Except that if I take that first pill in the evening then it doesn't work out evenly at all. Well, I was hardly going to wait until morning, I guess.

[darkoshi]

If it were me, taking 3 times daily would be when I get up with breakfast, in the middle of my day with lunch or a snack, and before bed with either dinner or a snack.
If I took the first dose of 2 pills around 6pm, I'd take one more pill before bed, and then 3 pills each next day til they run out even if it doesn't divide evenly.

[topaz_eyes]

The first 2-pill dose is a "loading" dose to bring blood levels up rapidly, the rest are to maintain a constant level of drug.

"Stat" means immediately. If you only took one pill to start, take the 2nd as soon as possible, then take one pill every 8 hours after that your first initial dose. For the rest, you want to take it every 8 hours (or as close to 8 hours as possible) to keep a steady level of drug in the body as long as you take them.

(sorry for the multiple replies)

[conuly]

I do know that stat is doctor-jargon for "right now", and btw, I really think that we need to not include jargon on pill bottles. Pill bottles and inserts really need to be rewritten in simpler English. That's not something we want to screw people over.

[chasing_silver]

People have explained it, but if this is the same antibiotic I took for my tooth infections, then I would recommend taking probiotics with it. It will shred your innards :( Hope you feel better super soon!

[readerjane]

I think it’s meant to be a 7-day supply: 1 pill every 8 hours (or close to 8 hours) with the very first dose being doubled.