Prescription drug use in the United States steadily increased over a 10-year period, with nearly half of all Americans taking at least one prescription drug in the past month during 2007-2008.
Supports monitoring for polypharmacy risks; leaves open causes and clinical consequences of rising use.
KEY FINDINGS: Over the last 10 years, the percentage of Americans who took at least one prescription drug in the past month increased from 44% to 48%. The use of two or more drugs increased from 25% to 31%. The use of five or more drugs increased from 6% to 11%. In 2007-2008, 1 out of every 5 children and 9 out of 10 older Americans reported using at least one prescription drug in the past month. Those who were without a regular place for health care, health insurance, or prescription drug benefit had less prescription drug use compared with those who had these benefits. The most commonly used types of drugs included: asthma medicines for children, central nervous system stimulants for adolescents, antidepressants for middle-aged adults, and cholesterol lowering drugs for older Americans.
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Gu et al. (2010) studied this question.
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