Publication year
2002Author(s)
Source
CNS Drugs, 16, 3, (2002), pp. 155-163ISSN
Publication type
Article / Letter to editor

Display more detailsDisplay less details
Organization
Clinical Pharmacy
Journal title
CNS Drugs
Volume
vol. 16
Issue
iss. 3
Page start
p. 155
Page end
p. 163
Subject
Rational Use of Drugs and Pharmaco-epidemiology; Rationeel Geneesmiddelengebruik en Farmaco-epidemiologieAbstract
Polytherapy with antiepileptic drugs is not popular mainly because it is thought to be associated with more adverse effects and to contribute relatively little in terms of efficacy compared with monotherapy. However, there are two reasons to question this assumption: certain combinations are more effective than others and, therefore, generalisations about the poor effectiveness of polytherapy cannot be made; and the total drug load, i.e. the total amount of drug exposure for a certain indication, is usually higher in polytherapy, which may explain the higher toxicity seen during such treatment. In this article, the available literature on the effectiveness of first-line monotherapy, alternative monotherapy and second-line polytherapy is reviewed. There is no conclusive evidence in favour for choosing either alternative monotherapy or polytherapy when first-line monotherapy fails. Therefore, a pragmatic approach is recommended until an evidence-based choice can be made.
This item appears in the following Collection(s)
- Academic publications [202736]
- Faculty of Medical Sciences [79998]
Upload full text
Use your RU credentials (u/z-number and password) to log in with SURFconext to upload a file for processing by the repository team.