What dosing advice should be given to a client taking zidovudine (AZT) for HIV infection?

Zidovudine (AZT) is an antiretroviral medication used to manage HIV infection. The effectiveness of AZT relies heavily on maintaining a consistent drug concentration in the bloodstream, which can be achieved by spacing doses evenly around the clock. This approach ensures that the antiviral activity remains stable and continuous, reducing the viral load and preventing the development of drug resistance.

Consistent dosing is crucial in HIV treatment; irregular dosing can lead to suboptimal drug levels, thereby increasing the risk of treatment failure and leading to the potential development of resistant strains of the virus. Therefore, clients are advised to take zidovudine on a strict schedule, ideally every 4 to 6 hours, to maintain therapeutic levels.

Other options, such as taking doses only when experiencing symptoms or administering doses as needed, compromise the medication's effectiveness. Additionally, combining doses for convenience could lead to missed doses and potential peaks in medication levels, which is not advisable for steady antiviral action. Thus, the correct approach is to space doses evenly around the clock to ensure optimal management of the HIV infection.