Augmentation (pharmacology)

Augmentation, in the context of the pharmacological management of Psychiatry, refers to the combination of two or more drugs to achieve better treatment results. Examples of use include:

• Prescribing an atypical antipsychotic when someone is already taking a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor for the treatment of depression.
• Prescribing estrogen for someone already being treated with antipsychotics for the management of Schizophrenia.
• Giving an adenosine A2A receptor antagonist on top of existing treatment for Parkinson's disease. Note that this is not in the field of Psychiatry.