Health Dictionary
Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.
Monotherapy
Introduction
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 dangerous drug interactions.[1]
Monotherapy is rarely used in treating some conditions, such as HIV infection and many kinds of cancer.
The opposite of monotherapy is polytherapy.
References
References
- ↑ “Glossary” (HTML). Retrieved 2008-04-02.
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.