hi there, im preparing for the nclex rn exam and i am having a little problem understanding drug-drug interactions, hope someone can help :-)

i'm confused on which item to pick, for example

Drug A intensifies the effect of Drug B

Patient is currently taking drug A. Doctor added Drug B to be prescribed this afternoon.

the nurse anticipates that the doctor will order:

1. Decrease drug A

2. Decrease drug B

i just dont get it. Patient can still have the same dosage of drug A but a decrease of dosage of drug B (A potentiates B) OR patient can have a Decreased dosage of A and have the regular dosage of B.

thanks

Decrease drug B.

There is nothing in your scenario to suggest that the patient can tolerate a lower dose of drug A, the one that he is already taking.

If you know that drug A (which the patient is already taking) will increase the effect of drug B (the new one), you would anticipate that the physician will order a lower than normal dose of drug B.

For example, the patient is currently taking a diuretic, but now needs a B/P drug. The diuretic is known to increase the effect of the B/P drug. You anticipate that the doctor will order a lower than normal dose of the new B/P drug.