The use of multiple medications by a patient is called polypharmacy. Even though sometimes many medicines are needed, polypharmacy also has serious risks. Polypharmacy can be costly for the patient. It increases the pill burden and may also increase the chances of adverse reactions.

The website below was created by Claire de la Varre, MSIS, a graduate of The School of Library and Information Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It was awarded Site of the month in October 2000 by the Healthcentral.com Senior Health Newsletter. The website contains useful information about polypharmacy such as how to identify the symptoms, prevent polypharmacy, and address the issue with your physician.