polydrug

[pol-ee-druhg]

adjective

1. being or pertaining to several drug used simultaneously, especially narcotics or addictive drugs.

   a center for dealing with polydrug abuse.

Word History and Origins

Origin of polydrug¹

First recorded in 1970–75; poly- + drug ¹

Example Sentences

Polydrug use – using more than one drug at a time – intensifies the effects of the drugs and makes them more dangerous.

Read more on BBC

Mixing alcohol alongside other drugs is one of the most common forms of polydrug use and can seriously increase the strength and impact of those substances, increasing the chances of a potentially fatal chemical reaction.

Read more on BBC

Freedheim said this new reality of “polydrug” use makes blood testing more important.

Read more on Seattle Times

Nonetheless, polydrug use — the mixing of multiple substances — is a far more lethal combination than any drug on its own, as well as the true underbelly of this drug crisis disaster.

Read more on Salon

“The majority of overdoses around the world have been polydrug for a long time. The difference today is the number of drugs is much higher, so it’s harder and harder to know in an overdose emergency what someone has been using,” said Keith Humphreys, a Stanford University professor who tracks the overdose crisis.

Read more on Washington Times