When to Use Dosage vs Dose
In scientific and medical writing, some authors use inaccurate words because they see these words used incorrectly in the literature, or they hear these words used incorrectly by their colleagues. For example, the terms utilize, symptoms, and methodology are often misused.
Another commonly misused term is dosage. Many authors think that this term is a synonym for dose. But these words have different meanings.
Dose refers to the amount of a treatment given or taken at one time or the total amount given during a certain period.
Dosage refers to a course of treatment or the regulated amounts of individual doses given per unit of time.
Examples
The patient was given carbamazepine at a dose of 200 mg.
The physician prescribed methimazole at a dosage of 15 mg/day.
The average dosage of the drug is 100 mg/day, which is typically administered in doses of 50 mg twice per day.
