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Teaspoon v. tablespoon: what's the
difference?
Do you know the difference between a teaspoon and a tablespoon?
You might, but a lot of people don't, even though it seems
so basic. After all, teaspoons and tablespoons are common
measures used in cooking. It takes three teaspoons to make
a tablespoon, but a mother gave her 3-year-old boy a tablespoon
of Phenergan® (promethazine)
expectorant because she thought that a tablespoon was equal
to two teaspoons. That amount was not an overdose, fortunately,
but this situation illustrates the problem with using household
measuring spoons for medications. Not only are there misunderstandings
with how many teaspoons make a tablespoon, but household measuring
spoons are not very accurate. That's okay when you're baking
a cake, but sometimes that inaccuracy is a problem when measuring
a medication. We've written before about how oral syringes
should be used with medications because they are more accurate
than dose cups or spoons. Your pharmacy can give you oral
syringes and demonstrate how to use them.
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