• Among community-dwelling people aged over 50 in Ireland, 69% report taking
medications regularly. The median number of medications taken regularly in the
over 50s is 2, in the over 65s is 3 and in the over 75s is 4.
• One in five of those over 50 years regularly take five or more medications
(i.e. polypharmacy).
• Polypharmacy potentially puts the ageing population at greater risk of
inappropriate prescribing, non-adherence and adverse drug reactions.