Via practica 1/2014

Polypharmacy – an untortunate phenomenom not only in psychotherapy

he pharmacological treatment in old age has its specifics and the polypharmacy belongs among the most common problematic situations in gerontopsychiatric patients.A number of older patients are experiencing the chaining of the multiple somatic and psychological disorders which creates a need of greater use of pharmacotherapy. Moreover, in old age, adverse drug effects and drug interactions are more frequent than in the younger population, the most endangered group are just the polymorbidold patients. Moreover, there is known a number of drugs that have the ability to induce the secondary psychiatric symptomatology within their side effects. Such conditions need to be actively searched for and it is necessary to prevent them. The safe and effective pharmacotherapy belongs to the one of the important indicators of the quality of health care in old age.

Keywords: polypharmacy, drug interactions, averse reactions, polymorbidity