Polypharmacy is the use of multiple medicines by one person, particularly when the number or combination of medicines increases the potential for harm, unnecessary treatment, or medication-related problems.
There is no single universally accepted number of medicines that automatically makes a person’s treatment polypharmacy. The term is often used when several medicines are taken concurrently, especially when some may be unnecessary, inappropriate, duplicated, or interacting.
Polypharmacy can be appropriate when multiple conditions require treatment. The concern arises when the overall medication regimen becomes unnecessarily complex or exposes a person to avoidable risks such as adverse effects, drug interactions, dosing errors, and poor adherence.
QUICK FACT
Polypharmacy does not simply mean “too many medicines.” A person can appropriately need several medicines, while even two medicines can create a clinically important interaction.
COMMONLY CONFUSED WITH
Multimorbidity: Multimorbidity means having multiple health conditions at the same time; polypharmacy refers to the use of multiple medicines.
SEE ALSO
- Medication safety
- Drug interaction
- Adherence
- Active ingredient
- Treatment failure
