When Taking Several Medicines Can Become a Serious Health Concern
For many older adults, taking several prescription medicines every day is a normal part of managing long-term health conditions. Medicines can control blood pressure, reduce swelling, protect the heart and manage a wide range of illnesses. However, when the number of medicines increases, so can the possibility of unwanted effects and interactions.
Recent figures highlighted in an investigation reported on September 7, 2026, suggest that medication-related problems are placing a significant burden on emergency healthcare in the UK. The report says that more than 1,000 people aged 65 and over are admitted to A&E every day following preventable reactions linked to the medicines they have been prescribed. It also reports that emergency admissions in this age group increased from around 405,000 in 2018 to approximately 568,000 in 2025.
These figures have renewed attention on an issue known as polypharmacy.
What is polypharmacy?
Polypharmacy generally refers to taking several medicines at the same time. The supplied report describes taking more than five medicines as polypharmacy and notes that the likelihood of harmful side effects can increase as the number of medicines rises.
The report estimates that roughly eight million people in the UK are taking five or more medicines every day, while around 2.2 million people reportedly take ten medicines a day.
Taking multiple medicines does not automatically mean that someone is being treated incorrectly. Older people often have several health conditions that genuinely require different treatments. The challenge is making sure that every medicine remains necessary, appropriate and safe as a person's circumstances change.
A prescription that was useful several years ago may not always provide the same benefit later in life. Other medicines may have been introduced since then, creating a more complicated combination.
Why can several medicines cause problems?
Medicines can affect the body in different ways, and some effects can become more pronounced when several treatments are taken together.
Older adults may be particularly vulnerable to certain side effects. The report highlights symptoms including confusion, nausea, weight loss, swelling, difficulty walking and an increased risk of falls. Some medication-related effects can even resemble symptoms associated with cognitive decline.
Blood pressure medicines provide one example. The report identifies drugs such as ramipril and amlodipine as medicines that can affect some older people more strongly, potentially causing blood pressure to fall too low. A significant drop in blood pressure can increase the risk of dizziness and falls.
Another medicine may then be prescribed to deal with a side effect created by an existing treatment. For example, the report notes that water tablets such as furosemide may be used to reduce swelling associated with amlodipine, but they can potentially increase the risk of falls further.
This illustrates why medication management can become complicated, particularly when several doctors or healthcare services are involved.
How prescriptions can build up
One concern raised in the report is fragmented healthcare. An older patient may receive treatment from a GP, a hospital consultant, a specialist clinic or another healthcare professional.
If each part of the healthcare system focuses primarily on one condition, medicines can sometimes accumulate without anyone taking a complete view of the patient's entire prescription list. The report cites previous studies that have linked over-prescribing to fragmented care between hospitals, care homes and GPs.
Time pressures can make the situation more difficult. The report also refers to concerns that busy clinical environments, appointment shortages and complex treatment guidelines can make detailed medication reviews challenging.
For patients taking numerous medicines, reviewing the complete list can therefore be just as important as prescribing another treatment.
The importance of medication reviews
Medical experts quoted in the report are calling for greater attention to deprescribing, which means carefully reducing or stopping medicines that are no longer appropriate.
Deprescribing should not be confused with simply abandoning treatment. It is a clinical process that requires consideration of the patient's conditions, current health, possible benefits, side effects and potential risks of changing a prescription.
The report quotes NHS consultant geriatrician Dr Daniel Harman, who says that medicines originally started for good reasons can, years later, cause more harm than benefit.
The British Geriatrics Society president, consultant geriatrician Jugdeep Dhesi, is also quoted expressing concern about the current situation and arguing that continuing with the same approach may not be sufficient.
Experts highlighted in the report want older people taking several medicines to receive regular reviews to check whether each treatment is still needed.
What can patients and families do?
The most important step is communication.
Patients should keep an up-to-date list of every medicine they take, including prescribed medicines and any other products they use. When speaking with a healthcare professional, it can be useful to make sure they know about the complete list.
Family members and carers can also play an important role, particularly when an older person has difficulty remembering medication names or schedules.
People should also pay attention to new or worsening symptoms. Confusion, dizziness, unusual weakness, swelling, nausea or repeated falls may have many possible causes, but they should be discussed with a healthcare professional when they appear after a medication change or while taking several medicines.
Most importantly, people should not stop prescribed medication on their own. The report specifically cautions patients against stopping medicines without first speaking to a GP or specialist doctor.
A growing challenge for an ageing population
The issue of polypharmacy is likely to remain important as the population ages and more people live with multiple long-term conditions.
The goal is not necessarily to reduce the number of medicines that a person takes. Instead, the focus should be on ensuring that every medicine has a clear purpose and that the overall treatment plan remains suitable for the individual.
The report says a new national plan for the care of frail older people is due to be published in January. An NHS spokesperson also said that new guidance for NHS organisations includes regular medication reviews as part of effective community support for frail people.
Medication can be life-changing and, in many cases, life-saving. But medicines need to be reviewed as people's health, circumstances and treatment needs change.
For older adults taking several prescriptions, a regular medication review could provide an important opportunity to identify unnecessary treatments, reduce avoidable side effects and make sure the medicines being taken continue to serve their intended purpose.
The wider lesson is straightforward: more medication is not necessarily better medication. The safest treatment plan is one that is regularly reviewed and tailored to the person receiving it.
Sources
- The Sun, health report published September 7, 2026, based on NHS statistics and an investigation by The Sunday Times.
- Statements from medical experts and the NHS spokesperson as reproduced in the supplied source material.
Disclaimer
This article is for general informational purposes only. It is not medical advice and should not be used as a substitute for advice from a qualified doctor, pharmacist or other healthcare professional. Do not start, stop or change prescribed medication without consulting an appropriate healthcare professional. Individual treatment decisions depend on a person's medical history, conditions and medicines.