Ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease are chronic gastrointestinal diseases that affect patients in the prime of their lives. Because inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients generally live a normal lifespan, chronic medical therapy for IBD must be tolerable, simple to adhere to, and have as few side effects as possible. This article discusses the impact of IBD on quality of life and stresses the importance of appropriate and individualized medical therapy. To help clinicians determine the efficacy of particular IBD medications, this article offers a brief, practical interpretation of clinical, endoscopic, and quality-of-life end points used in clinical trials. Finally, it provides a summary of the current accepted medical therapies for ulcerative colitis adn Crohn's disease and recommendations for using these medications in clinical practice.