Americans Spending Half Their Lives on Prescription Drugs: Study

In early life, individuals typically dedicate the majority of their time to education, followed by a significant portion spent in married life. However, recent research indicates that for an American born in 2019, a greater portion of their lifetime will be allocated to taking prescription drugs compared to the time spent on both education and marriage.

According to new research by Jessica Ho, associate professor of sociology and demography at Penn State, American males will spend approximately 48% of their lives taking prescription drugs. The number jumped to 60% for females.

Ms Ho reported her findings this week (October 1) in the journal Demography.

"As an American, I'd like to know what medications I'm putting in my body and how long I can expect to take them," said Ms Ho.

"The years that people can expect to spend taking prescription drugs are now higher than they might spend in their first marriage, getting an education, or being in the labor force. It's important to recognize the central role that prescription drug use has taken on in our lives."

The study relies on data spanning from 1996 to 2019, sourced from a continuous and long-standing annual national survey on drug utilization in the United States. These surveys encompass data from around 15,000 households selected each year and gather information every five months. This approach enhances data recall and accuracy compared to surveys conducted on an annual basis.

As per a news release by the university, she found that the majority of American men are taking prescription drugs by age 40, while most American women are taking prescription drugs by age 15. On average, a newborn boy in 2019 could expect to take prescription drugs for approximately 37 years, or 48% of his life. A newborn girl in 2019 could expect to take them for approximately 47.5 years, or 60% of her life.

"We see that women start taking prescription drugs earlier than men do, and some of that is related to birth control and hormonal contraceptives," Ms Ho said.

"But it is also related to the greater use of psychotherapeutic drugs and painkillers among women. If we consider the difference between men and women, excluding contraceptives would only account for about a third of the difference. The remaining two-thirds are primarily driven by the use of other hormone-related drugs, painkillers, and psychotherapeutic drugs used to treat conditions such as depression, anxiety, and ADHD."