Are 70% of Americans on medication?
Asked by: Ms. Briana Davis Sr. | Last update: December 9, 2025Score: 4.7/5 (29 votes)
Are 70 of Americans on prescription drugs?
Researchers find that nearly 70 percent of Americans are on at least one prescription drug, and more than half receive at least two prescriptions, reports CBS Atlanta.
What percentage of Americans are on meds?
More than 131 million people — 66 percent of all adults in the United States — use prescription drugs. Utilization is particularly high for older people and those with chronic conditions. Prescription drugs are costly.
What percent of Americans regularly take prescriptions?
The percentage of adults taking prescription medication was lower among men than women overall (58.4% versus 70.9%) and for those aged 18–44 years (38.9% versus 57.8%) and 45–64 years (67.1% versus 75.7%). Among adults aged ≥65 years, men (89.0%) and women (89.3%) were equally likely to take prescription medication.
What percentage of 40 year olds are on medication?
Nearly 7 in 10 adults aged 40–79 used at least 1 prescription drug in the past 30 days in the United States (69.0%) and Canada (65.5%), and around 1 in 5 used at least 5 prescription drugs (22.4% in the United States and 18.8% in Canada).
Almost 70% of Americans take at least one prescription medication, and the side effects...
Is America overmedicated?
3.5 billion prescriptions per year
Rising ranks of doctors, researchers and public health experts are saying that America is overmedicating itself. It is buying and taking far too much medicine, too readily and carelessly, for its own health and wealth, they say.
How many prescriptions does the average 50 year old take?
Moreover, on average, the total number of prescription purchases (including refills) increased as age category increased for persons ages 0–74 (age category 0–4 (3.9 total prescriptions), age category 5–17 (5.9 total prescriptions), age category 18–44 (9.3 total prescriptions), age category 45–64 (21.6 total ...
What is the #1 most prescribed drug?
The most prescribed drug in America is atorvastatin. The most common brand name for atorvastatin is Lipitor. What is atorvastatin used for? Atorvastatin is used to treat high cholesterol, which in turn helps prevent heart disease and symptoms of heart disease such as heart attack and stroke.
How many pills does the average American take a day?
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.
Why do Americans take so many prescription drugs?
Drivers of Medication Overload
Fragmentation of Care – There is a pervasive lack of communication between a patient's various providers. Often, more prescriptions are written to treat what appears to be a new condition, when in reality prescribers are treating a side effect of another drug.
What country uses the most medication?
The United States takes the most prescription drugs, with a national average of each person spending around $1200 each year on Rx medication.
What percentage of people don't take their medication?
The treatment of chronic illnesses commonly includes the long-term use of pharmacotherapy. Although these medications are effective in combating disease, their full benefits are often not realized because approximately 50% of patients do not take their medications as prescribed.
How many drugs does the average senior take each day?
Too many seniors are prescribed too many drugs. About four of every 10 older adults take five or more medications, triple the rate from two decades ago. Almost 11 million Americans, or two of every 10 seniors, are on 10 or more drugs.
What percent of America is on medication?
— Nearly 70 percent of Americans are on at least one prescription drug, and more than half take two, Mayo Clinic and Olmsted Medical Center researchers say. Antibiotics, antidepressants and painkilling opioids are most commonly prescribed, their study found.
What percentage of Americans are on antidepressants?
Key findings. Eleven percent of Americans aged 12 years and over take antidepressant medication. Females are more likely to take antidepressants than are males, and non-Hispanic white persons are more likely to take antidepressants than are non-Hispanic black and Mexican-American persons.
What percent of Americans can't afford their prescriptions?
Poll: Nearly 1 in 4 Americans taking prescription drugs say it's difficult to afford their medicines, including larger shares among those with health issues, with low incomes and nearing Medicare age.
What percentage of 60 year olds are on medication?
More than 74% of adults aged 60–74 used prescription medications in the past month; in contrast, only about 36% of people aged 21–39 used medications; 27% of subjects aged 60–74 used ≥ 5 medications, but only 3% aged 21–39 used ≥ 5 medications.
How many medications is considered a lot?
People at Higher Risk
Certain people are more likely to have problems from taking multiple medicines: People who are prescribed 5 or more medicines. The more medicines you take, the higher the chance of interactions or side effects. You may also find it hard to remember all possible drug interactions.
How many Americans can't take pills?
Having trouble swallowing all these medications is an extremely common scenario. Up to 40% of American adults have reported problems, experiencing gagging, choking, or vomiting when pills won't easily slide down the throat.
What is the number 1 selling drug in America?
Ranked: America's Top-Selling Drugs in 2023
Right at the top, semaglutide, (available as Ozempic, Rybelsus, and Wegovy) attracted nearly $40 billion in consumer spending in 2023. Initially developed to treat type 2 diabetes, semaglutide is now the key active ingredient in weight loss drugs for those who can afford it.
What 3 prescription drugs are most commonly abused?
Opioids (such as OxyContin and Vicodin), central nervous system depressants (such as Xanax and Valium), and stimulants (such as Concerta and Adderall) are the most commonly abused prescription drugs.
What is gabapentin used for?
Gabapentin is used to treat epilepsy. It's also taken for nerve pain, which can be caused by different conditions, including diabetes and shingles. Nerve pain can also happen after an injury. In epilepsy, it's thought that gabapentin stops seizures by reducing the abnormal electrical activity in the brain.
Are most 70 year olds on medication?
By the time they reach age 60, most Americans are taking at least one prescription medication for a chronic health issue such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol or diabetes.
What is the major organ of drug metabolism?
Most drugs must pass through the liver, which is the primary site for drug metabolism. Once in the liver, enzymes convert prodrugs to active metabolites or convert active drugs to inactive forms. The liver's primary mechanism for metabolizing drugs is via a specific group of cytochrome P-450 enzymes.