How Many Rx Meds Do You Take?

Do you think you are taking more medications than the average American person? Are you looking desperate at your pills? Well…this article may help you to know how many pills the average American person takes.  We are not counting the vitamins and supplements, we are counting pills that were given with prescription.

Painkillers are the most common Rx meds. The painkiller Vicodin and Xanax have become popular over the years. For sure, the most common reasons for taking prescription medications are anxiety and blood pressure. This suggests that the main issue is mental health among average American persons, along with chronic pain.

You may be surprised, but there is a gender difference. Some studies show that men and women are likely to take certain medications. The levels of popularity are depending on the gender of the person. For example, men are taking more blood pressure and cholesterol medication than women. On the other hand, women are taking more antidepressants than men.

A study published by Mayo Clinic reveals that 70% of Americans take at least one prescription medication. The same study shows that 20% of Americans are on five or more medications. It was also revealed that prescription drug use among Americans has steadily increased over the past 10 years.

It’s not a surprise that America consumes most of the world’s supply of painkillers. “If you include Canada and Western Europe, it (consumption of global opioid supply) increases to 95%, so the remaining countries only have access to about 5% of the opioid supply,” Vikesh Singh from Johns Hopkins University told CNBC in 2016.

If you think you are taking too many prescription drugs, there are more than 14.000 drug treatment centers.