Mixing Many Head Meds May Pose Risk

A new study suggests that psychiatrists frequently prescribe multiple medications to help people with mental disorders. The proportion of people who are taking at least two drugs for their psychiatric condition went from 42 percent in 1996 to almost 60 percent a decade later. While some combinations used for conditions such as depression, bipolar disorder or anxiety have been tested in clinical trials, a great many have not. The potential for dangerous drug-drug interactions increases with each additional medication. In the absence of clear benefit, such polypharmacy may pose unacceptable risks.
[Archives of General Psychiatry, Jan., 2010]