U.S. Residents’ Rx Drug Use Up, New CDC Study Finds
The percentage of U.S. residents who took at least one prescription drug from 2011 to 2012 increased to nearly 60%, up about eight percentage points from 1999 to 2000, according to a study published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association, HealthDay/U.S. News & World Report reports (Reinberg, HealthDay/U.S. News & World Report, 11/3).
For the study, researchers looked at data from CDC's National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The data included responses from nearly 38,000 U.S. residents ages 20 or older about their prescription drug use within the 30 days prior to the survey. Researchers examined data from 1999 to 2000 and 2011 to 2012 (Kaplan, Los Angeles Times/Sacramento Bee, 11/3). According to the Washington Post's "To Your Health," the data for 2012 were the most recent data available (Dennis, "To Your Health," Washington Post, 11/3).
Key Findings
According to the study, 59% of U.S. residents took at least one prescription drug from 2011 to 2012, with 15% of such individuals taking five or more drugs. In comparison, 51% of U.S. residents took at least one prescription drug from 1999 to 2000, with 8% of such individuals taking at least five prescriptions during those years.
Further, the study noted an increase in the use of 11 out of 18 distinct classes of drugs that were found to be used by at least 2.5% of respondents. According to the study, the 11 drug classes were more widely used from 2011 to 2012 than they were from 1999 to 2000. The study found that:
- Medications intended to treat high blood pressure were used by 27% of respondents from 2011 to 2012, up from 20% who used such treatments in 1999-2000;
- Statins and other cholesterol-lowering medications were used by 18% of respondents from 2011 to 2012, up from 8% who used such treatments from 1999 to 2000; and
- Antidepressants were used by 13% of respondents from 2011 to 2012, up from 7% of respondents who used such treatments from 1999 to 2000 (Los Angeles Times/Sacramento Bee, 11/3).
Meanwhile, use of certain medications decreased between the two study periods. For example, use of:
- Antibiotics decreased to 4.2% during 2011 to 2012, down from 5.7% in 1999 to 2000; and
- Sex hormones among women fell to 11% during 2011 to 2012, down from 19% in the earlier time period, in large part because of a drop in the use of hormones as a menopause treatment ("To Your Health," Washington Post, 11/3).
According to the study, older respondents were the most likely to report taking prescription drugs, with about 90% taking at least one prescription drug and 39% taking at least five prescription drugs from 2011 to 2012. In comparison:
- 65% of middle-aged respondents took at least one prescription drug during that time, with about 15% taking at least five; and
- 35% of respondents in their 20s and 30s took at least one prescription drug during that time, with about 3% taking at least five (Los Angeles Times/Sacramento Bee, 11/3).
Meanwhile, the study found that non-Hispanic white U.S. residents take prescription drugs at about twice the rate of Mexican Americans. The researchers did not indicate a reason for the difference but noted it "was not entirely attributable" to the groups' insurance rates.
Reasons Behind the Increases
The researchers noted that obesity was likely a driver of the increase in prescription drug use. They found that among the 10 most-used drugs in the U.S., eight are treatments for:
- Diabetes;
- Heart failure;
- Hypertension;
- And other elements of "cardiometabolic syndrome" ("To Your Health," Washington Post, 11/3).
Further, omeprazole, which is marketed under the name Prilosec, was also among the top 10 most-used drugs, and is used more commonly by those with above average weights (Los Angeles Times/Sacramento Bee, 11/3).
However, Elizabeth Kantor, study co-author and an epidemiologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, said, "There's so much going on in each area, it's hard to draw concrete conclusions," adding, "Each drug class stands on its own" ("To Your Health, " Washington Post, 11/3).
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