Doses that decide questions: an MCCQE quick reference

Quick reference for MCCQE, about 3 minutes to read. Canadian practice, checked against current guidelines as of November 2026.

Written to help you answer exam questions. Before treating a patient, check the current guideline and local policy. Medical disclaimer

These are the numbers the course teaches for answering exam questions. Before you prescribe, check the Canadian product monograph and local guidance.

Resuscitation and emergencies

Anaphylaxis: epinephrine 0.5 mg IM into the thigh in adults (0.01 mg/kg, maximum 0.5 mg, in children), repeated every 5 to 15 minutes if needed.
Opioid overdose: naloxone in small IV doses, titrated to breathing, not to full alertness. It wears off before long-acting opioids.
Hyperkalemia with ECG changes: calcium gluconate 10%, 30 mL IV, to protect the heart, then insulin with dextrose to shift potassium.
Torsades de pointes: magnesium sulfate 2 g IV.
Stable SVT: vagal manoeuvres, then adenosine 6 mg, then 12 mg.
Malnourished drinker, confused or hypoglycemic: IV thiamine before glucose.
Status epilepticus: a benzodiazepine at 5 minutes (buccal or intranasal midazolam if there is no IV), a second dose 5 to 10 minutes later, then levetiracetam, fosphenytoin or valproate.
Pediatric sepsis: fluid boluses of 10 to 20 mL/kg, antibiotics within 1 hour.

Acute coronary syndrome: ASA 160 mg, chewed (Canadian low-dose tablets are 81 mg).
Massive PE: alteplase 100 mg over 2 hours unless contraindicated.
Hyponatremia: raise sodium by no more than 8 mmol/L in 24 hours in people at high risk of osmotic demyelination.
IV potassium: no faster than about 10 mmol an hour through a peripheral line.

Gonorrhea: ceftriaxone 500 mg IM once, with a test of cure.
Chlamydia: doxycycline 100 mg twice daily for 7 days; azithromycin 1 g once in pregnancy.
Early syphilis: benzathine penicillin G 2.4 million units IM once; three weekly doses for late latent syphilis.
Lyme prophylaxis: one dose of doxycycline within 72 hours of removing a tick attached 24 hours or more in an endemic area.
Latent TB: rifampin daily for 4 months is preferred.
Children's otitis media: amoxicillin 75 to 90 mg/kg/day; 10 days under 2 years, 5 days from age 2.

Fever: acetaminophen 15 mg/kg every 4 to 6 hours; ibuprofen 10 mg/kg every 6 to 8 hours from 6 months.
Croup: dexamethasone 0.6 mg/kg by mouth, once, for every child with croup.
Newborns: vitamin K 1 mg IM at birth (0.5 mg if 1,500 g or less); vitamin D 400 IU a day for breastfed babies.
Newborn hypoglycemia: treat below 2.6 mmol/L.

Folic acid: 0.4 mg a day for most, 1 mg or 4 mg a day at higher risk, by SOGC guidance.
Severe hypertension in pregnancy: treat 160/110 or above within 30 to 60 minutes.
High risk of pre-eclampsia: ASA 81 to 162 mg at night, from 12 to 16 weeks.
Rh-negative women: anti-D at 28 weeks and within 72 hours of birth.
Hypothyroidism: raise levothyroxine by about 25 to 30% as soon as pregnancy is confirmed.

Citalopram: maximum 40 mg a day; 20 mg a day over 65 (QT prolongation).
Lithium: maintenance level 0.6 to 1.0 mmol/L, drawn 12 hours after the dose.
Breakthrough opioid: about 10% of the total daily dose.
Benzodiazepine taper: about 10 to 25% every 2 to 4 weeks.

Alcohol: 2 standard drinks or fewer a week is low risk in Canada's 2023 guidance; more than 6 a week carries increasing risk.
Radon: act at 200 Bq/m3.
HIV post-exposure prophylaxis: within 72 hours, ideally within 2.