ABSTRACT
This chapter will introduce some of the problems faced by older people in taking modern drugs. We shall examine patterns of prescribing, the use of drugs in residential settings, self-medication, and illnesses caused by adverse reactions to drugs. Most of our attention will be focused on the various difficulties faced by older people when they are prescribed drugs. At the same time, we cannot ignore the many gains which drug therapy has brought in alleviating suffering in old age. Clearly, many drugs are capable of improving the quality of life experienced by elderly people, many of whom face debilitating physical and psychological illnesses. Unfortunately, even for those drugs that work, there are invariably costs, side effects or adverse reactions. This is particularly true with older people. Moreover, we must also be aware of failures at the level of drug promotion (see Chapter 3) and medical practice (see Chapter 4); these failures have themselves contributed to illness and death in old age.
