New Release: Prescription Drug Use Among Adults Aged 40–79 in the United States and Canada

Prescription Drug Use Among Adults Aged 40–79 in the United States and Canada

Key Findings

Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and the Canadian Health Measures Survey

• Nearly 7 in 10 adults aged 40–79 used at least 1 prescription drug in the past 30 days in the United States (69.0%) and Canada (65.5%), and around 1 in 5 used at least 5 prescription drugs (22.4% in the United States and 18.8% in Canada).
• Among adults aged 40–59, the most commonly used drug types in the United States were antidepressants, lipid-lowering drugs, and ACE inhibitors; in Canada, they were analgesics, antidepressants, and lipid-lowering drugs.
• Among adults aged 60–79, the most commonly used drug types in the United States were lipid-lowering drugs, antidiabetic agents, and beta blockers; in Canada, they were lipid-lowering drugs, analgesics, and proton pump inhibitors.

​ Keywords

 medication, polypharmacy , National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS)

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Prescription Drug Use Among Adults Aged 40–79 in the
United States and Canada


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