title: Prescription drug use continues to increase: U.S. prescription drug data for 2007-2008.
abstract: Over the last 10 years, the percentage of Americans who took at least one prescription drug in the past month increased from 44% to 48%. The use of two or more drugs increased from 25% to 31%. The use of five or more drugs increased from 6% to 11%. In 2007-2008, 1 out of every 5 children and 9 out of 10 older Americans reported using at least one prescription drug in the past month. Those who were without a regular place for health care, health insurance, or prescription drug benefit had less prescription drug use compared with those who had these benefits. The most commonly used types of drugs included: asthma medicines for children, central nervous system stimulants for adolescents, antidepressants for middle-aged adults, and cholesterol lowering drugs for older Americans.
authors.affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, 3311 Toledo Road, Hyattsville, Maryland 20782, USA.
authors.forename: Qiuping
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Gu
authors.forename: Charles F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Dillon
authors.forename: Vicki L
authors.initials: VL
authors.lastname: Burt
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004363:Drug Utilization / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data* / Q000639:trends; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007356:Insurance, Pharmaceutical Services / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019338:Polypharmacy; D055553:Prescription Drugs / Q000191:economics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D055656:Prescriptions / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017678:Sex Distribution; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D055553:Prescription Drugs