We’re Taking More of Most Prescription Drugs

She said an increase in one drug class may mean more people are getting treated for a given condition or may reflect a change in the nation’s underlying health needs. “But the consistency of the trend, and the fact that we saw it in the majority of drug classes, was surprising”.

The use of at least five prescription drugs at the same time, known as “polypharmcy”, increased from eight percent to 15 percent during the time frame. “Another is a proton-pump inhibitor used for gastroesophageal reflux, a condition more prevalent among individuals who are overweight or obese”.

The study found that drugs to treat high cholesterol and diabetes were among those experiencing increased use between 1999-2000 and 2011-2012.

Elizabeth Kantor, a co-author of the study and epidemiologist at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, said the significant rise doesn’t necessarily represent a troubling trend.

The researchers used statistical methods to account for the fact that Americans as a whole got older during the study period, but still found that overall drug use was higher in 2011 and 2012 than in 1999 and 2000. They increased from about 20% during 1999-2000 to over 27% during 2011-12. In comparison, 51% of US residents took at least one prescription drug from 1999 to 2000, with 8% of such individuals taking at least five prescriptions during those years. Blood pressure drugs can reduce blood pressure too much, causing fainting and falling, which can lead to a broken hip in older people, he said.

The numbers of prescriptions were based up an in-home survey of more than 38,000 adults that looked at 18 different prescription drugs.

Important findings of the study include- decline in usage of sex hormones among women from 19% to 11%.

In comparison to Mexican Americans, Non-Hispanic white Americans take prescription drugs at around double the rate. It is a statin drug, often marketed under the brand name Zocor, which aims to lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Researchers offered no clear explanation but said the disparity “was not entirely attributable” to differences in insurance status.

Antidepressants increased from 6.8 percent 13 percent, while statins grew from 6.9 percent to 17 percent. The agency also noted that while the greater role of prescription drugs in US health care had led to better treatment of conditions such as heart disease and diabetes, it also had contributed to serious public health problems. While this kind of makes sense, logically, it will probably still stun you to learn that roughly 60 percent of Americans are on a few kind of prescription medication.