Polypharmacy is being practice in greater force today than it was 20 years ago. There are many reasons for this practice, including (1) the availability of a greater number of newer medications to treat a wider range of conditions, (2) aging population that is notorious for taking multiple medications, and (3) practice guidelines that advocate for the use of more than one drug to treat recalcitrant conditions. A closer look at the issues surrounding the practice of polypharmacy is discussed here.
MojtabaiROlfsonM. National trends in psychotropic medication polypharmacy in office-based psychiatry. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2010;67(1):26-36. doi:10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2009.175.
GurwitzJHFieldTSHarroldLR. Incidence and preventability of adverse drug events among older persons in the ambulatory care setting. JAMA. 2003;289(9):1107-1116.
