- Monotherapy
Monotherapy refers to a therapy which is taken by itself. It can be applied to any therapeutic approach, but it is most commonly used to describe the use of a single
medication . Normally, monotherapy is selected because a single medication is adequate to treat the medical condition. However, monotherapies may also be used because of unwanted side effects or dangerousdrug interaction s.cite web |url=http://www.epilepsy.uhhs.com/glossary.htm |title=Glossary |accessdate=2008-04-02 |format=HTML |language=English |quote=Monotherapy: The treatment of epilepsy with a single medication rather than a combination. Monotherapy has distinct advantages over polytherapy in many patients, including absence of drug-drug interactions, fewer side effects, simpler dosing, and lower cost. However, not all patients can be controlled with monotherapy.]Monotherapy is rarely used in treating some conditions, such as
HIV infection and many kinds of cancer.The opposite of monotherapy is polytherapy or
polypharmacy .ee also
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Polypill , a medication which contains a combination of active ingredientsReferences
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