This made her stomach bleed. She was so sick, in fact, that she couldn't care for herself after getting out of the hospital and had to stay with her daughter. When she became depressed, an antidepressant was added to her regimen. Then came another drug for stomach acid. You don't know whether you're sick because your condition is worse or because your medicine is making you worse.
Medicines save lives, but few are completely free of risks or side effects.
The more drugs that are taken together, the greater the risk for side effects and interactions. The Maryland grandmother's troubled relationship with her medications is far from unique. The term describes cases in which patients are prescribed many different medications, often by different doctors, for a succession of conditions or for side effects created by other medications. Polypharmacy has been committed when the conditions can be effectively treated with fewer medications. Weinstein routinely counsels customers about their drug regimens.