Alternate drugs

It is important to consider a number of factors when deciding on drug therapy for elderly patients. The principles of efficacy, side effect profile, ease of administration, interaction with other drugs or concomitant illness, cost, and constant reevaluation of the need for continued treatment should be remembered for any treatment. In many cases the ideal drug may be initially no drug at all. A number of alternative drugs are available for most conditions, and the drug of choice for the elderly may actually be one of these alternative agents. We have attempted to consider these basic principles as they may be applied in making a decision for ideal drug therapy and for alternative therapies for elderly patients.