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

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

From 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.

From 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.

From Washington Times

The “fentanyl” problem is 100 percent a polydrug problem.

From Washington Post

The Orange County Sheriff-Coroner’s office later determined his cause of death as acute polydrug intoxication due to the combined effects of fentanyl and phenobarbital.

From Los Angeles Times