Diagnosis Drift and Its Contribution to Polypharmacy.

Diagnoses of drug-treatable illnesses has drifted to include milder conditions than in the past. Treating them increases the number of drugs given a person, risking polypharmacy, especially in elderly people with multiple conditions. The adverse consequences of polypharmacy are increased costs, confusion when taking drugs, adverse drug events, intermittent adherence with adverse drug discontinuation effects, and unrecognized delayed adverse effects. Deciding what not to treat helps minimize polypharmacy and its consequences.