If a nurse is preparing to administer amitriptyline 150 mg and has 75 mg tablets available, how many tablets are needed?

To determine how many tablets of amitriptyline are needed to reach the total prescribed dose of 150 mg, it is essential to divide the required dose by the strength of each tablet.

In this case, the nurse has 75 mg tablets available. The calculation to find the number of tablets needed is:

150 mg (required dose) ÷ 75 mg (per tablet) = 2 tablets.

Therefore, the correct answer is that the nurse would need 2 tablets to administer a total of 150 mg. This ensures that the patient receives the correct dosage without exceeding the prescription, which is critical for safe medication administration. Each tablet contributes to reaching the therapeutic level intended for the patient.