pharmacotherapyincluding

Pharmacotherapy refers to the use of drugs to prevent, diagnose, or treat disease and to improve health outcomes. It encompasses selecting appropriate medications, determining doses, routes of administration, and duration of therapy, and it relies on evidence from clinical research and guidelines. Pharmacotherapy may be used across acute care, chronic disease management, infectious disease control, and preventive medicine.

Central concepts include pharmacodynamics (what the drug does to the body) and pharmacokinetics (what the body does to the drug). Individualized therapy considers age, weight, renal and hepatic function, genetics, comorbidities, and potential drug interactions. Therapeutic drug monitoring and dose adjustments aim to maximize efficacy while minimizing toxicity.

Applications span many fields. Antibiotics for infections, antihypertensives and antidiabetics for chronic disease management, psychotropic medications for mental disorders, analgesics for pain, and vaccines as a preventive pharmacotherapy. Clinicians integrate patient preferences, guideline recommendations, and risk–benefit analyses.

Safety and regulation are central to pharmacotherapy. Adverse drug reactions, interactions, and polypharmacy can complicate treatment, particularly in older adults. Pharmacovigilance, adverse event reporting, and post-marketing surveillance help identify risks. Ongoing research seeks to optimize drug selection, dosing, and delivery to improve outcomes and reduce harm.