Kampo medicine resolves a case of polypharmacy with improvement sustained for 10 years

ABSTRACT Case An 81‐year‐old man who had many symptoms, including body pain, was receiving 13 different drugs. We used kampo medicine to improve his symptoms and to reduce the number of drugs he received. Outcome Keishikajutsubuto (KSTJB) was given to the patient, and gradually the number of drugs he received was reduced. All symptoms were improved with only two drugs, KSTJB and epinastine, and the patient's condition has been improved for more than 10 years. Conclusion By introducing kampo medicine, we were able to reduce the patient's daily regimen from 13 to 2 medications. A pharmaceutical cost estimate indicated savings of approximately ¥1m over the past 10 years. Thus, use of kampo medicine can resolve polypharmacy and potentially reduce pharmaceutical costs.