Prescription drug statistics in the United States
There are more than 20,000 prescription drugs that are approved for marketing (FDA, 2020).
About 66% of U.S. adults take prescription drugs (Health Policy Institute, 2021).
About 46% of U.S. adults have taken a prescription drug in the past 30 days (CDC, 2019).
The therapeutic areas with the highest spending in the U.S. are antidiabetics, oncologics, autoimmune, and respiratory diseases (Statista, 2021).
The leading drug classes in the U.S. are antihypertensives, pain relievers, and mental health drugs (Statista, 2021).
The most commonly abused types of prescription drugs in the U.S. are opioids, tranquilizers, benzodiazepines, and prescription stimulants (Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 2014).
The U.S. consumed about 30% of the world’s supply of opioids in 2015 (Politifact, 2017).
Almost 50,000 people died from opioid overdoses in 2019 (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2019).
How common is prescription drug use?
The coronavirus pandemic has increased prescription drug use and impacted the way people get their medications. In the past year, SingleCare saw increases in prescription fills among many drugs, especially drugs thought to treat COVID-19, supplements, antidepressants, and stimulants for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD):
525% increase in fills for hydroxychloroquine
70% increase in fills for generic Lexapro
66% increase in fills for vitamin C
62% increase in fills for dexamethasone
39% increase in fills for ibuprofen
31% increase in fills for generic Zoloft
27% increase in fills for metformin HCl
21% increase in fills for trazodone HCl
20% increase in fills for generic Prozac
19% increase in fills for vitamin D
16% increase in fills for generic Adderall
According to the American Psychological Association, the misuse of opioid pain relievers and stimulants has also risen during the pandemic, as people attempt to cope with conditions like anxiety and depression
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