Dr. Jonathan Walters to Discuss Polypharmacy in Older Adults at Massac Memorial Hospital Lunch and Learn on Friday

Polypharmacy 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.

Medicines are meant to help, not harm. Sometimes taking to many medications can be dangerous, especially for older adults.  Taking five or more medications a day often leads to negative outcomes for older adults.  The combination of multiple medications in a lower-functioning older body may be devastating.