Deprescribing in Patients With Cardiovascular Disease Experiencing Polypharmacy
Updated: July 08, 2026
- Polypharmacy is common in cardiovascular (CV) care because guideline-directed treatment often requires multiple medications across coexisting conditions and comorbidities, increasing medication burden.
- Deprescribing is a proactive, patient-centered strategy to reduce medication burden and can be effective not only after adverse drug events, but also when polypharmacy, prescribing cascades, poor adherence, or changing goals of care warrant reassessment.
- Safe deprescribing requires a structured, multidisciplinary approach that uses systematic review tools, shared decision-making, careful tapering, and close follow-up to align treatment with patient goals while minimizing adverse events.
Recommended Reading
- Palliative Pharmacotherapy for Cardiovascular Disease
- Evaluation and Management of Chronic Heart Failure in Children and Adolescents With Congenital Heart Disease
- Advances in Managing Transition to Adulthood for Adolescents With Congenital Heart Disease
- Preventing and Managing Falls in Adults With Cardiovascular Disease
- Guideline for the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Management of High Blood Pressure in Adults
- Guideline for the Management of Patients With Acute Coronary Syndromes
- Guideline for the Management of Patients With Chronic Coronary Disease
- Guideline for the Management of Heart Failure