Determining days supply

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
Get help with your application

Use all the free resources available to you from SDN: articles, guides, expert advising, forums discussions, and school research.

radio frequency

Full Member
10+ Year Member
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
I feel with certain items that could likely go bad before the patient finishes them, I'm always guessing at a days supply: sparingly used creams and eye drops are the big examples.

What is your policy on these? I don't know how nit picky I need to be with this as a new pharmacist in a company known for disliking errors.

Thanks!
 
I feel with certain items that could likely go bad before the patient finishes them, I'm always guessing at a days supply: sparingly used creams and eye drops are the big examples.

What is your policy on these? I don't know how nit picky I need to be with this as a new pharmacist in a company known for disliking errors.

Thanks!
15 gtts/ml eye and ear drops. 10 gm/day on topicals (this is what Medco allows)
 
For the ones expiring after a certain time window after opening, we generally put in the sig: (expires X days after opening), then give them however many to hit the prescribed day supply. Those that don't expire as quickly and have non-specific sigs, we use 1gm/average area and 2gm/large area if they're creams/oint.
 
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
What do you guys put for day supply on a script for flonase that says to only use it for 7 days? You calculate the day supply on how long it would last and then specify 7 days in the sig correct? Same problem with eye drops where the patient only needs 1ml out of a 5ml bottle.

For example... an eye drop that says 1 drop each eye daily for 7 days. Eye drop comes in 5ml bottle patient will only use 1ml. So I specify in the sig to only take for 7 days and put in days supply as 38 days.
 
Last edited:
What do you guys put for day supply on a script for flonase that says to only use it for 7 days? You calculate the day supply on how long it would last and then specify 7 days in the sig correct? Same problem with eye drops where the patient only needs 1ml out of a 5ml bottle.

For example... an eye drop that says 1 drop each eye daily for 7 days. Eye drop comes in 5ml bottle patient will only use 1ml. So I specify in the sig to only take for 7 days and put in days supply as 38 days.
I put the duration of use.