Prescription drugs provide relief from pain, fight infection, stabilize moods, reduce inflammation, combat dread diseases, and extend lives.
These medications have become a fact of life for many—perhaps most—Americans. On average, half of them took at least one prescription drug in a given month, according to a recent CDC survey. More than 13 percent took five or more.
And the rate is growing.
In 2020 Americans filled 6.4 billion prescriptions, about 19 per person.
By 2023, Americans were consuming more than 210 billion daily doses of medication annually. That’s more than 600 pills, shots, drops, IVs, creams, mists, or suppositories for every person in the country....
