Review Article Open Access

Polypharmacy in Times of COVID-19: A Narrative Review

Abstract

COVID-19 pandemic caused by the SARS-Cov-2 virus, has become a serious public health concern worldwide which spread across more than 200 countries in a matter of months. Amidst a deadly second COVID wave in India, the resources and the health infrastructure required to handle the situation was stretched to their limits. Furthermore, due to the non-specific nature of the disease and the plethora of symptoms and complications it presents, the medical management of COVID-19 became complicated and uncertain. Such a grim scenario evokes fear and panic among the citizens, leading to questionable and unnecessary practices such as stocking of medicines, hoarding oxygen cylinders and most importantly, selfmedication with over-the-counter drugs, dietary supplements (so-called immune boosters), prescription-only drugs, along with combining the use of alternative systems of medicine. Due to all these reasons, the practice of ‘polypharmacy’ is becoming rampant among the general population, which in most cases is inappropriate and even harmful. This review summarizes the various patient and physician associated factors promoting polypharmacy, along with examples of the common drugs being prescribed and/or self-administered, and the various steps that can be taken to prevent such futile practices.

Shreya Gupta

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