Real Life Examples: Polypharmacy and the Prescribing Cascade Part 1 of 2

Polypharmacy isn’t just about medication count—it’s about cumulative risk and unintended consequences. One of the biggest drivers is the prescribing cascade, where a drug side effect is mistaken for a new condition, and another medication gets added instead of addressing the root cause. You see this all the time in practice. A patient starts amlodipine and develops edema, then gets placed on furosemide. Or donepezil leads to urinary symptoms, and oxybutynin is added—potentially worsening cognition. These patterns add risk quickly. In this episode, I’ll break down common examples that I have recently encountered in practice. Be sure to check out our free Top 200 study guide – a 31 page PDF that is yours for FREE! Support The Podcast and Check Out These Amazing Resources! NAPLEX Study Materials BCPS Study Materials BCACP Study Materials BCGP Study Materials BCMTMS Study Materials Meded101 Guide to Nursing Pharmacology (Amazon Highly Rated) Guide to Drug Food Interactions (Amazon Best Seller) Pharmacy Technician Study Guide by Meded101

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Real Life Examples: Polypharmacy and the Prescribing Cascade Part 1 of 2 is an episode from Real Life Pharmacology - Pharmacology Education for Health Care Professionals by Eric Christianson, PharmD; Pharmacology Expert and Clinical Pharmacist.

This episode is 11:32 long.

This episode was published on Apr 23, 2026.

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