Polypharmacy – Is This You?

I know that polypharmacy is not a term we banter around everyday. Some readers may have never even heard of it before. A great many though have experienced the effects of polypharmacy.

Doesn’t the term polypharmacy sound like a cute advertising campaign for a new chain of drug stores?

The truth begins in your physician’s office.

Polypharmacy refers to being prescribed and taking several medications every day. As people live longer lives in industrialized societies, the tendency to develop chronic diseases has increased. Modern medical care provides several pharmaceutical options in the treatment of these chronic conditions.

It is not uncommon for a person to take one pill each day to treat their Diabetes, another pill for their hypertension, and another for… well, you get the idea. After a while, the medicine cabinet is full, and the person faces the daily task of taking their prescribed medications in the right amount and at the right time. Whew!

Oh, and don’t forget about whether a particular medication is taken with food or without. The specifics of managing multiple medications can be awesome.

Reflection of Managed Care

This may sound like a fairy tale but once upon a time, many of us went to one doctor for care. With the development of the managed care model of healthcare, the average patient now sees multiple physicians and other healthcare technicians to treat each of their diagnoses.

While managed care originally developed this compartmentalized treatment as a way of managing costs, it also altered the delivery of medical treatment. Now an average patient will see multiple doctors who may or may not communicate with one another about that person’s treatment. With each doctor prescribing according to their specialty, it is no surprise that a patient will end up with multiple medications.

A Case of Polypharmacy

Having multiple medications may not be a problem in general, lots of people do this every day. The problem with this polypharmacy can be communication.

• Each doctor prescribes but may not be fully aware of other prescriptions the patient takes.

• Patients do not always understand the nature of each medication and may not take it in correct doses.

• Patients do not always report information correctly to their physicians.

One of the truths that is not always shared or communicated well is that medications have side effects. All medications have side effects. What those side effects will be in each person’s body will vary. The sneaky part about side effects is that they look and sound just like symptoms of diseases.

Sometimes two medications work just fine on their own but combined will produce symptoms. The communication between all persons involved, be it the doctor, the patient, or pharmacist, all must clearly communicate with one another.

In practice, it was not uncommon to have a patient come to me for treatment of a symptom that ended up being traced to an interaction of their medications. With multiple doctors, it is not uncommon to have duplicate medications or medications that don’t go together being prescribed to the same patient.

Getting A Fix

The solution to many of the problems of polypharmacy is found right in the cause: communication.

In those patients I suspected might have been having prescription interaction issues, I directed them to their primary care physician with a complete listing of all their medication and supplements. The patient’s job was to have their medications reviewed for suitability. Once their medical regimen was corrected (duplicate and obsolete medications removed, dosages updated, etc.), stubborn symptoms would often stop.

The correction came when the patient advocated for themselves and communicated with their physician.

Simple, right?

Life Lessons

As with the cases of Michael Jackson, Prince, Philip Hoffman, and far too many other people who have died because of taking an improper combination/number of medications. There is a caveat in addressing polypharmacy in your and your loved ones’ lives. The problem is real and does have consequences, if ignored.

Please talk with your doctors. Learn from them so you can make sound healthcare decisions. The medical system is there to help keep you alive, but they are not responsible for you. You are responsible for you.

Take good care of yourself.

“People try to treat their illnesses without first trying to understand the cause of them. Behind every effect there is a cause. You can never eliminate an effect without first understanding its cause.”
― Suzy Kassem