Safe Approach to Drug Dosage in the Elderly

“Preventive medicine” has lately become a hot topic. The safety and efficacy of vaccines and the impacts of “ultra-processed” foods on health have been prominent. One issue related to the prevention of illness that has been largely ignored, yet is increasingly important as the U.S. population ages, is the inadvertent overdosage with common drugs in the elderly, who often require lower doses. Greater awareness by both clinicians and patients could reduce the morbidity and mortality from overdosage.