the average person is prescribed how many different medications over the course of a lifetime?

What percentage of the population uses prescription drugs?

Prescription drug use. Percent of persons using at least one prescription drug in the past 30 days: 48.9% (2011-2014) Percent of persons using three or more prescription drugs in the past 30 days: 23.1% (2011-2014)

How many prescription drugs are filled each year?

It is expected that there will be 4.57 billion prescriptions filled annually by the year 2024. The total percentage of the U.S. population that had used prescription drugs in the past 30 days was about 47 percent as of 2014.

How many older adults compare prescription drug plans?

Less than four in ten older adults report comparing plan premiums (36%) or co-pays for prescription drugs they were currently taking (36%), and about three in ten (28%) say they compared which prescription drugs were covered by each of the different drug plans.

How long do prescription medications last?

Some prescription meds treat conditions that could last a lifetime. If you have a prescription for any of the following medications, you might expect to take them for several years or for life. Expect to take an antidepressant for at least 6 months to a year for a first or second episode of depression.

How many medications are the average person on?

How many prescriptions does the average American take? Data suggests that among those who take prescription medications, the average number of medications taken is four. More than 131 million Americans take at least one prescription medication.

How many medications does the average person take per day?

Research shows that the average older adult takes four or more prescription drugs each day, but a whopping 39 percent of seniors take five or more prescriptions each day.

What is the average number of medications a patient 65+ years is prescribed?

Older adults are also more likely than their younger counterparts to be taking multiple prescription medications. More than half of adults 65 and older (54%) report taking four or more prescription drugs compared to one-third of adults 50-64 years old (32%) and about one in ten adults 30-49 (13%) or 18-29 (7%).

How many prescription drugs are prescribed each year?

It is estimated that in 2019, 4.38 billion retail prescriptions will be filled throughout the United States.

How many medications does the average 50 year old take?

The average number of prescriptions filled also increases with age, from 13 for those age 50 to 64 to 22 for those age 80 and older (see Figure 1).

How many prescription drugs are too many?

However, taking too many prescription medications can be risky. Taking more than five medications is called polypharmacy. The risk of harmful effects, drug interactions and hospitalizations increase when you take more medications.

What percentage of adults take 5 or more medications?

Among U.S. adults aged 40–79, 69.0% used one or more prescription drugs in the past 30 days and 22.4% used five or more (Figure 1).

What percentage of seniors take medication?

Researchers estimate that 25 percent of people ages 65 to 69 take at least five prescription drugs to treat chronic conditions, a figure that jumps to nearly 46 percent for those between 70 and 79.

What percentage of elderly patients use 10 or more medications?

More than four in ten older adults take five or more prescription medications a day, tripling over the past two decades. Nearly 20 percent take ten drugs or more.

What is the most prescribed drug in the world?

The Top 300 Drugs of 2019RankDrug NameTotal Prescriptions (2019)1Atorvastatin112,104,3592Levothyroxine102,595,1033Lisinopril91,862,7084Metformin85,739,44393 more rows•Sep 12, 2021

What is the most prescribed medicine?

May 8, 2015 -- The thyroid drug Synthroid continues to be the nation's most-prescribed medication.

How many total medicines are there?

There were 348 medicines listed in NLEM 2011. A total of 106 medicines have been added, and 70 medicines have been deleted to prepare NLEM 2015 which now contains a total of 376 medicines.

How many people died from drug abuse in 2014?

During that time, the U.S. population rose 21 percent. In 2014, nearly 1.3 million people sought emergency room treatment for adverse drug effects, and about 124,000 people died, according to U.S. government data cited by Consumer Reports.

Do prescription drugs cause harm?

But many of those pills may be unnecessary and might do more harm than good, according to a special report in the September issue of Consumer Reports magazine. Among those who take prescription drugs, 53 percent get them from more than one health care provider, which increases the risk of adverse drug effects.

How many prescriptions were there in the US in 2013?

Prescription per capita in the United States by age group 2013. The average number of prescriptions per capita in the U.S. was, on average, 12.2 per capita in 2013. Trends indicate that the number of prescriptions per capita increases with age. Those aged 65-79 years utilize, on average 27.3 prescriptions per year.

What are the consequences of high pharmaceutical costs in the US?

One consequence of high pharmaceutical costs in the U.S. is a booming pharmaceutical industry. The U.S. pharmaceutical industry , which is responsible for the production and development of prescription drugs, in the U.S. has grown significantly in recent years.

What was the top therapeutic area in the US in 2016?

The top therapeutic area in the U.S. in 2016 was represented through antihypertensive drugs, followed by pain management drugs. Residents in the U.S. pay some of the highest pharmaceutical per capita costs worldwide. One consequence of high pharmaceutical costs in the U.S. is a booming pharmaceutical industry.

How many older adults have problems with prescription drugs?

Some older adults report various problems accessing prescription drugs through their plan. Overall, nearly half (45%) of older adults with prescription drug coverage say they have experienced various problems accessing prescription drugs through their drug plan in the past 12 months. Nearly three in ten older adults (28%) report ...

How many older people say it is difficult to afford prescription drugs?

In addition, one-fourth of older adults (23%) who take prescription drugs say it is difficult to afford their prescription drugs, including about one in ten (8%) saying it is “very difficult.”. As is true among the public as a whole, there are certain groups of older adults who are much more likely to report difficulty affording medications, ...

How many older people talk to their doctor about drugs?

Seven in ten older adults (72%) say they usually talk to their doctor about the safety and potential side effects of the drug when their doctor writes a prescription for a drug they haven’t taken before. In contrast, around four in ten older adults (43%) say they usually talk to their doctor about whether there is a less expensive alternative, ...

What is more important for older adults with prescription drug coverage?

When older adults with prescription drug coverage were asked what feature of their coverage is more important to them, a larger share say having a lower co-pay at the pharmacy is more important to them than paying a lower premium each month (51% versus 35%).

Do older adults have Medicare?

While a majority of older adults have prescription drug coverage through Medicare Part D, which is Medicare’s voluntary prescription drug benefit, most older adults (76%) think the cost of prescription drugs is unreasonable. This viewpoint is consistent across party identification, with majorities of Democrats (81%), independents (74%), ...

Do older adults get discounts?

Few older adults report using patient assistance programs or other types of discounts. One-fifth of older adults say they have received a discount on a prescription drug in the past year, either through a coupon, a co-pay card, drug company patient assistance program, or some other type of discount.

Can Medicare restrict access to certain medications?

Fewer older adults favor allowing Medicare to restrict access to certain prescription medications such as allowing Medicare drug plans to put more restrictions on the use of certain drugs (45%) or allowing these plans to exclude more drugs (24%). Methodology.

What is the term used to describe multiple medications for a patient?

Polypharmacy & Aging. Polypharmacy is the term used to describe multiple medications for a patient and sometimes it is used to convey the use of unnecessary medications. However, I would like to keep the term simple and define polypharmacy as the use of multiple medicines in one person.

What are the problems with taking multiple medications?

Common Problems of Multiple Drugs in Older Patients 1 Overdose: The medicine acts unexpectedly stronger in patient 2 Underdose: The medicine acts unexpectedly weaker in patient 3 Drug - Drug Interaction: Drugs acting together can cause over or underdose 4 Over-the-Counter Medicines: Over-the-counter medicines can cause drug - drug interactions 5 Diet: Some medicines are positively or negatively affected by diet 6 Failure to Take as Directed: Medicine must be taken as directed and not omitted

Can over the counter medications cause drug interactions?

Over-the-Counter Medicines: Over-the-counter medicines can cause drug - drug interactions. Diet: Some medicines are positively or negatively affected by diet. Failure to Take as Directed: Medicine must be taken as directed and not omitted.

Is chronic illness a part of aging?

Developing any number of medical problems and or diseases that are acute or chronic is a normal part of aging. Each disease or problem may have a specific medicine (s) appropriately required to treat or control it. This is how, as we all age, we tend to accumulate more than one daily medication.

Is there a specific treatment for a disease?

Specific Treatment for a Specific Disease. Perhaps counter-intuitively, there often are a number of "right" specific treatments for a person’s particular problem or disease. This is for your physician and you to figure out. And once the correct drug for you is selected, the right dosage for you discovered, then you are all set.

Can over the counter cold medicine interfere with sleep medicine?

For example, over-the-counter cold remedies and decongestants can interfere with medicine prescribed for sleep.

How long do you need antipsychotics?

Antipsychotics. Depending on your condition, you may need antipsychotic medication for years, or for life. But some studies suggest that the people who benefit most from these drugs take them for only a few years. The drugs prevent psychotic symptoms for the first few years, the studies say.

How long should I take PPIs for heartburn?

Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPIs) These treat heartburn. People should only take over-the-counter forms for about 2 weeks, Chou says. If you still have repeated heartburn, you should see your doctor. “This is partly to make sure the over-the-counter PPI isn’t hiding something else,” he says.

What is the best medicine for asthma?

Albuterol. If you have asthma, this drug is the “rescue” medication you use during attacks. Many people with asthma also need a “controller” medication in addition to their rescue medication to prevent attacks over time. The risks from albuterol come when you use it for more than just for attacks.

Can you change your habits with over the counter medication?

In some cases, changing your habits may ease the symptoms you’re using the medication for in the first place. “There are always risks when you take any medicine. That includes over the counter and prescription medications,” says Jack Chou, MD, a family physician at Baldwin Park Medical Center in California.

Can you take sleeping pills long term?

Sleeping Pills. Whether or not they are anticholinergics, prescription and over-the-counter sleeping pills are not for long-term, nightly use. “You can build up a tolerance to them and then the same dose will no longer be effective,” Chou says. This can make sleeping even harder.

Can you take over the counter medication for too long?

Many meds are made to ease minor, temporary problems -- but taking them for too long may cause others. Talk to your doctor about your symptoms if you feel you should take an over-the-counter drug for longer than the time period on its label.

Can you take nasal spray for longer than the time?

Decongestant nasal sprays, such as Afrin, are for temporary congestion. You shouldn’t use them for longer than the timeframe on the label. “If you take it too long, it can actually make your congestion worse,” Marciniak says. Taking decongestants containing pseudoephedrine by mouth long term can ...

What percentage of older adults take prescriptions?

Fact Sheet: Prescription Medication Use by Older Adults 1 People age 65 and older make up 12 percent of the U.S. population, but account for 34 percent of all prescription medication use and 30 percent of all over-the-counter medication use. [ 2] 2 Because older adults often take numerous medications prescribed by multiple health care providers, their risk of having an adverse reaction is greater than that of younger adults. [ 3] 3 Among older adults, adverse reactions due to medication can be very serious, including falls, depression, confusion, hallucinations and malnutrition. [ 4]

What are the adverse reactions of medication?

Among older adults, adverse reactions due to medication can be very serious, including falls, depression, confusion, hallucinations and malnutrition . [ 4] Nearly one in four older adults skips doses of medication or does not fill prescriptions because of cost. [ 5]

How often should I make a brown bag visit to the doctor?

Once a year, make a "brown bag" visit to your primary care doctor's office. Bring all your medications, both prescription and over-the-counter. Your doctor can help you weed out any expired medications and make sure that all of your medications are compatible.

What percentage of the population is 65?

People age 65 and older make up 12 percent of the U.S. population, but account for 34 percent of all prescription medication use and 30 percent of all over-the-counter medication use. [ 2]

How to manage multiple chronic conditions?

Knight offered several take-home points to aid physicians for who manage patients with multiple chronic conditions: 1 Perform a complete “brown bag” review of all of the patient’s medications, including OTC drugs and supplements 2 Be cautious with new drugs for which there is less-than-robust data regarding use in elderly patients 3 Keep the medication regimen as simple as possible to promote adherence 4 Discontinue the use of drug when possible if the benefit is unclear or if observed side effects could be due to that drug 5 Consider if the benefit of the 7th or 8th drug is sufficient to justify the cost, increase in complexity of regimen, and risk of side effects 6 When selecting and titrating medication doses: start low, and go slow!

What are the effects of aging?

Knight reviewed a litany of pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic effects associated with aging that can lead to adverse outcomes, including: The effect on volume of drug distribution caused by the decrease in total body water and increase in total body fat commonly seen in elderly patients (which can lead to increased serum levels ...

Who said that elderly people consume a disproportionate share of medical resources?

Scitovsky (1988)argued that both the elderly and persons who die consume a disproportionate share of medical resources. Roos (1987)found that people dying at older ages have more expensive deaths than people dying at earlier ages, attributing much of the excess to heavy nursing home use by the very elderly.

What percentage of nursing home patients are under 65?

According to the MEPS report, nursing home patients younger than 65 constitute 9 percent of the nursing home population and 0.1 percent of the total population under age 65. The MEPS estimates the aggregate number of nursing home residents under age 65 and their average expenditure by sex.

Is health care age dependent?

The distribution of health care costs is strongly age dependent, a phenomenon that takes on increasing relevance as the baby boom generation ages. After the first year of life, health care costs are lowest for children, rise slowly throughout adult life, and increase exponentially after age 50 (Meerding et al. 1998).

Prescription Drug Use and Affordability Issues

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Experiences with Prescription Drug Coverage

Majorities of Older Adults Support Various Actions Aimed at Keeping Costs Down