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Pharmacy & Pharmacology vocabulary · Side Effects and Interactions

Polypharmacy

Meaning in pharmacy & pharmacology, with examples

/ˌpɑliˈfɑrməsi/nounCommon term

In pharmacy & pharmacology, polypharmacy means: The use of many medicines at the same time by one patient, often defined as five or more, which raises the risk of interactions and side effects.

In Turkish: çoklu ilaç kullanımı, polifarmasi

How it is used

A major topic in the care of older people. Polypharmacy can be appropriate or problematic; pharmacists help by reviewing medicines and supporting the safe stopping of those no longer needed, a process called deprescribing. The word appears in guidelines, audits and medication review notes.

Example sentences

  1. She's taking eleven different medicines a day; that's a clear case of polypharmacy.

  2. Polypharmacy increases the risk of falls in older patients.

Common collocations

  • problematic polypharmacy
  • reduce polypharmacy
  • polypharmacy in older people
  • deprescribing
  • drug interactionA change in the effect of a medicine caused by another medicine, a food, a drink or a disease, which can make the medicine weaker, stronger or more harmful.
  • medication reviewA structured check of all the medicines a patient takes, usually done with the patient, to make sure each one is still needed, effective, safe and taken correctly.
  • adherenceThe extent to which a patient takes a medicine as agreed with the prescriber, at the right dose and times and for the right length of time.
  • adverse drug reactionA harmful and unintended response to a medicine used at normal doses, ranging from a mild rash to serious damage to the liver, kidneys or blood.

More terms: Side Effects and Interactions

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.