When starting a new drug, start with a low dose and titrate slowly to the desired clinical effect. While the manufacturers of many commonly used medications do not delineate the lower-dosage recommendations necessary for elderly patients, you can bypass this problem by starting with one-third to half the recommended dosage.
After observing that the patient tolerates the new drug, slowly increase the dose until the desired result is obtained. This approach is particularly important in minimizing potential harmful drug effects in patients with severely reduced renal function.