A way of treating a condition by using a different drug from the one used before.
Treatment by providing a less harmful alternative to a drug or remedy that a patient has been receiving. It is used when the patient has become addicted to a drug or is placing too much reliance upon a particular remedy. The patient is weaned off the ‘hard’ drug to which he has become addicted by the gradual substitution of a nonaddictive drug with a similar or a sedative effect.
Supplying the patient with a substance that their body would typically produce on its own; for example, administering insulin for diabetic patients or providing treatments like cortisone and hormones.