A nurse is providing patient education for a 71-year-old patient and the spouse. The patient has taken levodopa (Dopar) for Parkinson's disease for 2 weeks but reports no improvement in the symptoms. The nurse should tell the patient
a. "Stop the drug. If you have not noticed any effects within 2 weeks, the prescriber may need to change your drug regime."
b. "It may take several months for a response to occur. Continue the medication as prescribed."
c. "Double the dose to see whether an effect occurs. Finding the correct dose takes many adjustments."
d. "Another agent will need to be added to the regimen to manage your symptoms."
B
Full therapeutic response with levodopa may take several months to develop. Patients should not expect immediate improvement. They should be informed that beneficial effects are likely to in-crease steadily over the first few months.
The drug should not be discontinued, because 2 weeks is not enough time to determine its effi-cacy.
The dose should not be doubled without a prescriber's order and only if it is indicated.
Another agent should not be added until the effectiveness of the levodopa is determined.
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