A patient has been diagnosed with Parkinson disease (PD) and begins treatment with levodopa/carbidopa [Sinemet]. After several months of therapy, the patient reports no change in symptoms. The nurse will expect the provider to:

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Patients beginning therapy with levodopa/carbidopa should expect therapeutic effects to occur after several months of treatment. Levodopa is so effective that a diagnosis of PD should be questioned if the patient fails to respond in this time frame. Adding a dopamine agonist is not indicated. The "on-off" phenomenon occurs when therapeutic effects are present. Increasing the dose of levodopa/carbidopa is not indicated.

A Patient Has Been Diagnosed with Parkinson Disease (PD) and Begins