Definitions for polypharmacy
po·lyphar·ma·cy

WiktionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. polypharmacynoun

   The use of multiple drugs in a single prescription

2. polypharmacynoun

   The use of multiple drugs to treat multiple concurrent disorders in the same patient; especially the indiscriminate prescription of many drugs to elderly patients

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Polypharmacy

   Polypharmacy (polypragmasia) is an umbrella term to describe the simultaneous use of multiple medicines by a patient for their conditions. Most commonly it is defined as regularly taking five or more medicines but definitions vary in where they draw the line for the minimum number of drugs. Polypharmacy is often the consequence of having multiple long-term conditions, also known as multimorbidity. An excessive number of medications is worrisome, especially for older patients with many chronic health conditions, because this increases the risk of an adverse event in those patients.The prevalence of polypharmacy is estimated to be between 10% and 90% depending on the definition used, the age group studied, and the geographic location. Polypharmacy continues to grow in importance because of aging populations. Many countries are experiencing a fast growth of the older population, 65 years and older. This growth is a result of the baby-boomer generation getting older and an increased life expectancy as a result of ongoing improvement in health care services worldwide. About 21% of adults with intellectual disability are also exposed to polypharmacy. Additionally, studies show that the percentage of patients greater than 65 years-old using more than 5 medications increased from 24% to 39% between 1999 and 2012.Polypharmacy is not necessarily ill-advised, but in many instances can lead to negative outcomes or poor treatment effectiveness, often being more harmful than helpful or presenting too much risk for too little benefit. Therefore, health professionals consider it a situation that requires monitoring and review to validate whether all of the medications are still necessary. Concerns about polypharmacy include increased adverse drug reactions, drug interactions, prescribing cascade, and higher costs. A prescribing cascade occurs when a patient is prescribed a drug and experiences an adverse drug effect that is misinterpreted as a new medical condition, so the patient is prescribed another drug.Polypharmacy is often associated with a decreased quality of life, including decreased mobility and cognition. Patient factors that influence the number of medications a patient is prescribed include a high number of chronic conditions requiring a complex drug regimen. Other systemic factors that impact the number of medications a patient is prescribed include a patient having multiple prescribers and multiple pharmacies that may not communicate. Whether or not the advantages of polypharmacy (over taking single medications or monotherapy) outweigh the disadvantages or risks depends upon the particular combination and diagnosis involved in any given case. The use of multiple drugs, even in fairly straightforward illnesses, is not an indicator of poor treatment and is not necessarily overmedication. Moreover, it is well accepted in pharmacology that it is impossible to accurately predict the side effects or clinical effects of a combination of drugs without studying that particular combination of drugs in test subjects. Knowledge of the pharmacologic profiles of the individual drugs in question does not assure accurate prediction of the side effects of combinations of those drugs; and effects also vary among individuals because of genome-specific pharmacokinetics. Therefore, deciding whether and how to reduce a list of medications (deprescribe) is often not simple and requires the experience and judgment of a practicing physician, as the physician must weigh the pros and cons of keeping the patient on the medication. However, such thoughtful and wise review is an ideal that too often does not happen, owing to problems such as poorly handled care transitions (poor continuity of care, usually because of siloed information), overworked physicians, and interventionism.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Polypharmacynoun

   the act or practice of prescribing too many medicines

2. Polypharmacynoun

   a prescription made up of many medicines or ingredients

3. Etymology: [Poly- + Gr. the using of medicine, fr. medicine: cf. F. polypharmacie.]

WikidataRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Polypharmacy

   Polypharmacy is the use of multiple medications by a patient, generally older adults. More specifically, it is often defined as the use of five or more regular medications. It sometimes alternatively refers to purportedly excessive or unnecessary prescriptions. The term polypharmacy lacks a universally consistent definition. Polypharmacy is most common in the elderly, affecting about 40% of older adults living in their own homes. Although polypharmacy can be appropriate, it is more often inappropriate. Concerns about polypharmacy include increased adverse drug reactions, drug-drug interactions, prescribing cascade, and higher costs. Polypharmacy is often associated with a deceased quality of life, decreased mobility and cognition. Whether or not the advantages of polypharmacy outweigh the disadvantages or risks depends upon the particular combination and diagnosis involved in any given case. The use of multiple drugs, even in fairly straightforward illnesses, is not an indicator of poor treatment. A perfectly legitimate treatment regimen could include, for example, the following: a statin, an ACEI inhibitor, a beta-blocker, aspirin, paracetamol and an antidepressant in the first year after a myocardial infarction.

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Polypharmacy

   pol-i-fär′ma-si n. the prescribing of too many medicines.

U.S. National Library of MedicineRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Polypharmacy

   The use of multiple drugs administered to the same patient, most commonly seen in elderly patients. It includes also the administration of excessive medication. Since in the United States most drugs are dispensed as single-agent formulations, polypharmacy, though using many drugs administered to the same patient, must be differentiated from DRUG COMBINATIONS, single preparations containing two or more drugs as a fixed dose, and from DRUG THERAPY, COMBINATION, two or more drugs administered separately for a combined effect. (From Segen, Dictionary of Modern Medicine, 1992)

How to pronounce polypharmacy?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

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   Mark

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   Daniel

   British

   Libby

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   Mia

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   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

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   Indian

   Priya

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   Neerja

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   Zira

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   Oliver

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   Wendy

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   Tessa

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How to say polypharmacy in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of polypharmacy in Chaldean Numerology is: 8

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of polypharmacy in Pythagorean Numerology is: 9

Examples of polypharmacy in a Sentence

1. Assistant EMS Chief Mark Pinchalk:

   The other problem is people using polypharmacy now, people using opioids or fentanyl and cocaine or meth.

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References

1. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Polypharmacy
2. ^ Wikipedia
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polypharmacy
3. ^ Webster Dictionary
   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/polypharmacy
4. ^ Wikidata
   https://www.wikidata.org/w/index.php?search=polypharmacy
5. ^ Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
   https://www.gutenberg.org/files/37683/37683-h/37683-h.htm#:~:text=polypharmacy