BACKGROUND One of the hallmarks of modern medicine is the improving management of chronic health conditions. Long-term control of chronic disease entails increasing utilization of multiple medications and resultant polypharmacy. The goal of this study is to improve our understanding of the impact of polypharmacy on outcomes in trauma patients 45 years and older. MATERIALS AND METHODS Patients...

BACKGROUND Clozapine is the only antipsychotic drug licensed for treatment-resistant schizophrenia but its use is often delayed. Since previous studies, national guidelines on the use of clozapine and other antipsychotics have been disseminated to clinicians. AIMS To determine the theoretical delay to clozapine initiation and to quantify the prior use of antipsychotic polypharmacy and high-do...

P roblems related to polypharmacy are most often associated with the elderly. It appears, however, that the number of medications prescribed per se, has only a weak influence on the health of the elderly. The phenomena of adverse drug events are found more frequently in the older population. Such terms as “inappropriate prescribing” or “potentially inappropriate prescriptions” and “adverse reac...

BACKGROUND Despite extensive research and recommendations regarding the optimal prescription of antipsychotic drugs, polypharmacy and excessive dosing still prevail. AIMS To identify the factors associated with the polypharmacy and excessive dosing phenomena. METHOD We studied 139 patients with schizophrenia, in 19 acute psychiatric units in Japanese hospitals, who were due to be discharged...

Aims We aimed to assess the prevalence, components and evolution of polypharmacy evaluate risk factors associated with polypharmacy. Methods A retrospective dynamic cohort study was performed, using a primary healthcare database comprising Flemish community-dwelling adults aged ≥40 years between 2011 2015. Polypharmacy excessive were defined as use 5-9 or minimum 10 different medications during...

Polypharmacy is increasingly common in the United States, and contributes to the substantial burden of drug-related morbidity. Yet real-world polypharmacy patterns remain poorly characterized. We have counted the incidence of multi-drug combinations observed in four billion patient-months of outpatient prescription drug claims from 2007-2014 in the Truven Health MarketScan® Databases. Prescript...

A two-year prospective study of 40 adult outpatients with chronic epilepsy was carried out in which blood drug concentrations were monitored, and anticonvulsant polypharmacy was reduced to treatment with a single drug in 29 patients (72%). In the year after the reduction of treatment the control of seizures was improved in 16 patients (55%), unchanged in eight(28%), and worse in five (17%). Men...

OBJECTIVE This study aims: (1) to describe the pattern and extent of multimorbidity and polypharmacy in UK Biobank participants with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and (2) to identify which comorbidities are associated with increased risk of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) resulting from polypharmacy. DESIGN Cross-sectional. SETTING Community cohort. PARTICIPANTS UK Biobank pa...

BACKGROUND Comorbidity and polypharmacy, more prevalent among older persons, may impact the treatment of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The aims of this study were to assess the frequency of polypharmacy and medication interactions within a cohort of older patients with IBD and describe IBD treatment patterns. METHODS Cohort study of 190 patients with IBD 65 years or older fo...

BACKGROUND Older adults with a range of comorbidities are often prescribed multiple medications, which may impact on their function and cognition and increase the potential for drug interactions and adverse events. AIMS This study investigated the extent of polypharmacy and potentially inappropriate medications in patients receiving post-discharge transitional home care and explored the assoc...