Americans take a lot of prescription drugs, so many that it has reached historic highs. 6.3 billion prescriptions were filled in 2020! According to a recent study, it appears that the number of prescription drugs a person takes over the life span will only increase.
Research conducted by Jessica Y. Ho at Penn State University found that persons born in 2019 could be expected to take prescription drugs for about half their lives: 47.54 years for women and 36.84 years for men. Also, the number of years individuals can expect to take 5 or more drugs has increased substantially.
Some of the big increases in prescription drug use are from statins, antihypertensives, and antidepressants. There are ethnic and racial differences in prescription drug use, with non-Hispanic Whites taking the most.
From Science Daily: Americans will spend half their lives taking prescription drugs, study finds
An American born in 2019 will spend a larger share of their lifetime taking prescription drugs than being married or receiving an education, according to new research by Jessica Ho, associate professor of sociology and demography at Penn State. She found that American males will spend approximately 48% of their lives taking prescription drugs. The number jumped to 60% for females. ...continue reading "Americans Take Record High Numbers of Prescription Meds, and This Is Projected to Increase"