Prescription drugs represent a major expenditure in the US, but there has been a deficiency of consolidated quotation at the population level, as data usually comes from pharmacy databases or expenditure records.
Elizabeth D. Kantor, PhD, formerly of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston, MA, and colleagues used nationwide data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) to study trends in prescription drug use from 1999-2012.
The team surveyed 37,959 American adults, aged 20 years and on peak of. Seven NHANES cycles were included (1999-2000 to 2011-12); the sample size per cycle ranged from 4,861-6,212. Within each cycle, use of prescription drugs in the prior 30 days was assessed overall and by drug class.
Prescription drug use increased from 51% of the population in 1999-2000 to 59% in 2011-2012. Among the 18 drug classes used by more than 2.5% of the population at any narrowing greater than the psychotherapy become antique, the prevalence of use increased in 11 drug classes.
Prescription drug use increased significantly plus persons aged 40-64 and those aged 65 and above, but not along along along in addition to people aged 20-39 years.
Polypharmacy, the use of five or more prescription drugs, rose from 8-15%, increasing significantly in the middle of every three groups, from 0.7-3.1% for those aged 20-39; from 10-15% along with the 40-64s; and from 24-39% in those aged 65 gain.
Rise in hypertensive drugs and statins
Use of medications for hypertension rose from 20-27%, as did medications to treat hyperlipidemia, from 7-17%, largely driven by use of statins. The most commonly used individual drug in 2011-2012 was simvastatin, used by 7.9% of the population, in the works from 2% in 1999-2000. Use of antidiabetic agents increased from 4.6-8.2%.
Antidepressants and narcotic analgesics use rose in the earlier time periods but stabilized after 2005. Antidepressant use increased overall from 7-13%, and narcotic analgesics from 3.8-5.7%.
These changes may represent varying attitudes to depression and heightened awareness of prescription opioid drug maltreatment or abuse. The potential for abuse may furthermore lead to underreporting of these drugs, possibly skewing the figures in the cutting edge years.
The use of sex hormones by women dropped from 19-11%, reflecting a add less in the use of noncontraceptive hormones for menopausal therapy, from 12-4%.
Overall, prescription painkiller use remained stable at 11%, although trends differed by type. Antibiotic use was also to by 1.4%.
Trends indicate obsession to focus following hint to the subject of cardiometabolic syndrome
The enduring intensity 10 drugs included lisinopril, levothyroxine, metoprolol, metformin, hydrochlorothiazide, omeprazole, amlodipine, atorvastatin and albuterol; completely of the summit 10 most commonly used drugs increased on intensity of the psychotherapy become pass-fashioned, except atorvastatin.
The authors write:
"Eight of the 10 most commonly used drugs in 2011-2012 are used to treat components of the cardiometabolic syndrome, including hypertension, diabetes and dyslipidemia. Another is a proton-pump inhibitor used for gastroesophageal reflux, a condition more prevalent in the midst of individuals who are overweight or obese. Thus, the optional optional relationship in use of some agents may reflect the growing need for treatment of complications allied following the lump in overweight and obesity."
The authors emphasize the compulsion to update assessments of prescription drug use, as the innovation reflects the changing health needs of the population, advances in treatment, additional clinical guidelines, the admittance or exit of drugs from the puff, and shifts in policies regarding drug publicity and publicity.
They call for patterns of prescription drug use to be documented, to counsel clinical practice and research, and to identify population subgroups at risk of underuse, insults and polypharmacy.
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