Defense Panel Backs Controversial Drug Treatments, But Can't Track Impact

A Defense Department health advisory group in June backed the controversial practice of prescribing multiple psychotropic medications for individual troops, but also acknowledged the Military Health System lacks a unified pharmacy database to track prescription drug use.

"The use of multiple psychotropic medications may be appropriate in select individuals. Polypharmacy can constitute a balanced approach to optimize functioning," the Psychotropic Medication Work Group and Complementary and Alternative Medicine Work Group of the Defense Health Board said in a presentation at a June 14 board meeting.

But, in the same paragraph, the group reported the MHS does not have the ability to track the effects on patients using multiple psychotropic drugs, including adverse reactions that can occur from mixing medications. "However, individual clinical and population-level MHS data systems do not comprehensively detect polypharmacy, adverse drug-drug interactions or potential for abuse, particular[ly] in theater."