Drug Use in Geriatric Patients

People over 65 are a minority of the population but consume about 50% of all drugs used in the United States and roughly 30% of health care costs. Three of every four elderly people take prescription medications.

The central challenge of geriatrics is that age-related physiology plus polypharmacy plus multiple diseases makes drug response hard to predict. The elderly are far more sensitive to adverse effects, and the guiding maxim of the whole chapter is 'start low and go slow.'

📖 “Elderly consume ~50% of all drugs used, ~30% of health care costs. ADR incidence 2-3x younger patients (5x near 90). 1 in 5 elderly experience an ADR. ~35% of community elders take 6+ medications.”