Rx Use Widespread, Costly

Prescription drug use rates are still concerning with 70% of Americans now on at least one prescription. Over 50% are taking two or more, and a somewhat surprising 20% of Americans are on at least five prescription medications. Antibiotics and antidepressants are the two most prevalent prescription drugs in our country.
 
Following in third place are opioid painkillers; 13% of Americans have such a prescription. Close to 1% of those buying addictive pain medications are thought to be “doctor shoppers,” accumulating large quantities for illegal purposes. Even though this percentage is scant, their purchases represent approximately 4.3 million prescriptions a year.
 
Researchers studying health care in the U.S. recently identified over $200 billion being spent unnecessarily each year due to improper usage of medication. They note, however, that strides have been made in areas such as medication nonadherence and overuse of antibiotics that can help reduce health care costs. Researchers identified other ways in which improvements may occur. Among these are a greater involvement on the part of pharmacists and a more cohesive means of tackling patient issues.