THE POLYPHARMACY IN PUBLIC GERIATRIC

Introduction and Objective The polypharmacy is characterized by the use of five or more medications and has increased among the elderly. (SANTOS et al., 2010). In Brazil, it is known that 23%, mainly elderly, are responsible for consuming 60% of the national production of medicines. The functional benefit of the drug may be accompanied by the deleterious effects, because the elderly have different pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic responses. Goal: Analyze the associated factors and consequences of polypharmacy among the elderly Methodology: a survey was conducted in the databases PubMed and Scielo between 2004 and 2012 for construction of a literature review. Discussion and Conclusion Santos et al described the factors associated with polifarmárcia can see the doctor, the user or the drug itself. Among these, we can mention the increase in life expectancy, prevalence of chronic diseases, the power of the pharmaceutical industry and the marketing of medicines and this medicalization of training among health professionals (Souza et al., 2007, SECOLE et al., 2010). Cardiovascular drugs are the most prescribed by doctors among people over 60 years. Among the most prescribed drugs in the wrong way, they are the CNS depressant and analgesic (Hansen et al., 2006). Functional changes that occur with advancing age predisposes the increased consumption of drugs. It is necessary for the pharmaceutical industry, the health system, regulators, health professionals and patients to play their part to ensure a quality pharmacotherapy.