(José Niño, Headline USA) With 61 percent of American adults reporting current use of prescription drugs, new data paints a picture of an increasingly medicated nation facing rising rates of depression, ADHD, and reliance on imported medicines.
According to a 2023 survey conducted by KFF, approximately 61 percent of U.S. adults report currently taking at least one prescription medication.
The same survey found that 13 percent of adults are taking one prescription drug, 11 percent are taking two, 10 percent are taking three, and 27 percent are taking four or more prescription medications.
Older Americans are the most likely to use prescription drugs. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Health Interview Survey for 2021–2022 indicate that an estimated 89 percent of adults aged 65 and older took prescription medication within the past 12 months.
A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Internal Medicine notes that the average number of medications used by adults in this age group increased from 3.0 in 1999–2000 to 4.3 in 2017–2020, reflecting a growing reliance on prescription drugs among older adults.
The prevalence of certain diagnoses has also increased. According to new CDC data, nearly 18 percent of Americans had depression in 2023, the highest rate on record. In 2005, that figure was approximately 5.4 percent
Women in the United States are prescribed antidepressants at higher rates than men. The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2015–2018 found that 17.7 percent of women aged 18 and older reported using antidepressants in the past 30 days, compared to 8.4 percent of men.
Children and adolescents are also affected by the increasing use of prescription drugs. The number of prescriptions for stimulants to treat ADHD has risen sharply. From 2012 to 2022, prescriptions for ADHD stimulants increased by nearly 60 percent, with boys aged 10 to 14 experiencing the highest rate of increase.
José Niño is the deputy editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/JoseAlNino
