Introduction

The symposium “Monotherapy Versus Polytherapy: The On-Going Controversy,” held during the 2nd European Congress of Epileptology in The Hague, The Netherlands, on September I , 1996 presented a contrasting picture of the day-to-day decisions taken in clinical practice concerning the administration of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) as monotherapy or as polytherapy. Until the early 198Os, polytherapy was widely prescribed in the treatment of patients with epilepsy. Epidemiologic and other surveys, however, revealed a heterogeneity in the choice of AEDs administered in clinical practice within Europe and between European and other countries: the choice appeared to be based on personal preference and/or tradition. Little scientific evidence based on sourid methodologic, controlled clinical trials was available to provide convincing data on the cornparative efficacy of one AED over another and whether monotherapy or polytherapy was more appropriate in the treatment of epilepsy. Disadvantages associated with polytherapy include increased toxicity and drub 7 interac’