This year the Administration on Children, Youth, and Families stated "Children and youth in the child welfare system are increasingly being dosed with psychotropic drugs to manage emotional problems and disruptive behavior that might better be addressed by psychosocial treatments to meet their complex needs." Children with histories of maltreatment, including those in foster care, often present with complex trauma-related and mental health needs, demonstrating multiple diagnoses at one time (i.e., co-morbidity). To treat the multiple mental and behavioral health symptoms that a child may exhibit, more than one drug--and often more than one type of medication--are prescribed. There is, however, scant evidence of the effectiveness of using multiple psychotropic medications at once (polypharmacy). No research supports the use of five or more psychotropic drugs. This article talks about red flags on medications and troubled children. While medication can be an important component of a comprehensive response to the complex mental health needs of children in foster care, current use of psychotropic medications among children in foster care at times may exceed practice standards that are supported by empirical research. (Contains 2 endnotes.)