A patient has taken levodopa (Dopar) for Parkinson's disease for 2 weeks but reports no improvement in the symptoms. Which response by the nurse is correct?
a. "Another agent will be needed to manage your symptoms."
b. "Double the dose to see whether an effect occurs."
c. "It may take several months for a response to occur."
d. "The prescriber may need to change your drug regimen."
ANS: C
A full therapeutic response with levodopa may take several months to develop. Until the true effect of the dose is seen, it is not necessary to change to another drug, increase the dose, or change the drug regimen.
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