0 the use of several different drugs to treat one condition or patient:
New medications are now available to target multiple symptoms, potentially reducing polypharmacy.
The process is also an aid to managing polypharmacy, highlighting poor nutrition and recognizing social problems that may interfere with treatment.
Multiple co-morbidities and polypharmacy are common in this group, emphasizing the importance of tailoring treatment t o t he individual patient.
Even though polypharmacy may be unavoidable, appropriate prescribing practices can ensure the minimum necessary medications and avoid overlap of pharmacological effect.
Inevitably, problems with polypharmacy are an issue in older patients, and problems are compounded with deteriorating renal function and impaired cardiovascular homeostatic-feedback mechanisms.
Polypharmacy, self-medication and possibly non-compliance may generate or compound the problem of drug-associated diarrhoea in older persons.
Polypharmacy should be considered an indicator of severe underlying disease.
Polypharmacy should be avoided because of the high chance of side-effects and problems of compliance.
First, polypharmacy is inadvertently introduced, increasing the risk of drug interactions.
