Prescription drug use represents a major healthcare expenditure in the United States, and it's only growing, according to new research published in JAMA.
Researchers examined temporal trends in prescription drug use by looking at data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 1999 to 2000 and from 2011 to 2012.
Ultimately, the study revealed:
1. Overall use of prescription drugs among U.S. adults increased from 51 percent between 1999 and 2000 to 59 percent between 2011 and 2012.
2. The share of Americans that use five or more prescription drugs increased from an estimated 8.2 percent between 1999 and 2000 to 15 percent between 2011 and 2012.
3. Among the 18 drug classes used by more than 2.5 percent of the population during the study period, drug use increased in 11 classes including antidepressants, prescription proton-pump inhibitors, muscle relaxants and drugs that treat high cholesterol and diabetes.
According to The Washington Post, one factor that may have driven the increase in drug use is obesity.
"Researchers noted that eight of the 10 most commonly used drugs in the United States are for hypertension, heart failure, diabetes and other elements of the 'cardiometabolic syndrome,'" according to the Post. "In addition, another frequently prescribed drug treats gastroesophageal reflux, a widespread condition among the overweight or obese."
Despite the potential link between obesity rates and prescription drug use, epidemiologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City and co-author of the study Elizabeth Kantor, PhD, warned against making any assumptions based on the data.
"There's so much going on in each area, it's hard to draw concrete conclusions," Dr. Kantor told the Post. "Each drug class stands on its own."
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