What term describes the simultaneous use of multiple medications?

The term that describes the simultaneous use of multiple medications is polypharmacy. This concept is particularly significant in clinical practice, especially when treating patients with chronic conditions or those who are elderly, as they often require multiple medications to manage various health issues effectively. Polypharmacy can help address different aspects of a patient’s health but also raises concerns about potential drug interactions, adherence challenges, and the risk of side effects.

While monotherapy refers to the use of a single medication to treat a health condition, it does not apply to the scenario of using multiple medications at once. Multimorbidity refers to the presence of multiple health conditions in a patient, which may require polypharmacy but does not define the medication aspect directly. Combination therapy involves the use of two or more medications to target a single condition, but again, this is narrower and does not encompass the broader definition of polypharmacy, which includes any scenario of taking multiple medications regardless of whether they are for the same condition or different issues.