PHARMACODYNAMIC AND PHARMACOKINETIC CONSIDERATIONS IN GERIATRIC PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY

When prescribing psychotropic medications for elderly patients, factor s of altered pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics must always be cons idered. Both pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics are likely to be al tered in the elderly because of ''normal'' aging, intercurrent illness es, and drug-drug interactions. This article details age-associated ch anges in pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics and the implications th ese changes have on the clinical response of elderly patients to psych otropic medications. Finally, a paradigm for predicting drug-drug inte ractions based on known age-associated pharmacodynamic and pharmacokin etic changes is presented.