Latest News

Americans Taking More Prescriptions Than Ever

The number of Americans taking perscription drugs is steadily increasing, with nearly 60 percent of American adults taking a pill every day, according to a study recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. 

In 2000, 51 percent of Americans took prescription drugs. In 2012, that number had risen to 59 percent. Medications for depression, high colesterol and diabetes contributed to the increase, researchers found. 

The number of people taking 5 or more prescriptions nearly doubled, to 15 percent, during the period that the researchers looked at. 

Researchers cautioned that the study does not necessarily mean that drugs are being over prescribed. 

“I would encourage people not to jump to the conclusion that we are using medication too much,” Glen T. Schumock, a professor of parmacy practice and administration at The University of Chicago told the Harvard Crimson. 

Related:

Drugs, Suicide Lower Life Expectancy for Americans

Sleep Helps Explain the Connection Between Alcohol, Nicotine

Addiction Officially Defined as Brain Disorder