It should be stressed that in some instances polypharmacy is necessary in adequately maintaining certain conditions. For example, it is now recommended by the Joint National Committee on Hypertension (JNC-7) to aggressive treat hypertension to prevent cardiovascular disease and or stroke. This move to more aggressive treatment involves a multiple drug approach. The key to preventing ADEs related to polypharmacy is to evaluate each patient case individually weighing the risk versus the benefits of each medication.
Recommendations
1. You should keep a detailed list of prescribed and over-the-counter products.
2. You should approach taking any additional medication with caution, only after consulting with your physician or consultant pharmacist to weigh the risk of taking the new medication or product agains the potential benefits it provides.
3. You should ask your physician or pharmacist what parameters you should monitor with your current medications, and keep a diary. (e.g. blood pressures with heart medications, blood sugars with diabetic medications, etc.)
4. The probability that you are experiencing a drug interaction with varying degrees of severity is around 98% likely, and you should schedule a review of your medications with a consultant pharmacist in your area for a detailed drug regimen review.
5. You should begin a diary to record any concerns that have arisen since taking each of your medications, and assimilate a list of current and past health conditions to assist the consultant pharmacist in the drug regimen review process.
