Swallowing the Future: What Does Increased Prescription Drug Use Mean for Our Health?

March 24, 2024

by Cathe Friedrich

Here’s a statistic that might make you do a double-take. Researchers analyzed prescription drug data over 20 years. They found that kids born today in the U.S. can expect to pop pills for a huge chunk of their lives. We’re talking 60% of their entire lifespan spent on prescription meds.

The numbers break down like this. For guys, it’s common to start medication around 40 years old and then stay on it for the next 37 years. That’s half their life expectancy spent filling prescriptions. But for women, the situation is even more overwhelming. Most are prescribed drugs as young as early adulthood and remain on them for 47.5 years on average.

It’s one of those stats that really makes you go “whoa, what’s going on here?” You can’t help but wonder what societal factors are driving such incredibly high rates of long-term medication use from such an early age. Whatever the reasons, the findings raise questions about public health and the sustainability of our healthcare system down the road.

Women Have Higher Rates of Medication Use

Are healthcare practitioners overprescribing to women? For instance, women take more antibiotics and antidepressants compared to guys. But it’s unclear if the higher prescription volumes are because women genuinely need more medication, or if there’s gender bias going on when doctors are diagnosing and prescribing.

Either way, it’s a worrying trend when you think about the potential downsides of being on heavy-duty medication regimens long-term. You could experience everything from nasty side effects to dangerous drug interactions and who knows what other unintended consequences.

And there’s another concern – the researchers point out that many of the most widely used meds today, like statins and antidepressants, have only been around since the 80s and 90s. That means the impacts of taking those pills continuously for 30 or 40 years are unknown.

Concerns about Adverse Events

This medication overload for women ties into another disturbing trend – the scary rise in people getting hospitalized from bad reactions to their meds. The numbers are eye opening, around 100,000 deaths per year in the U.S. caused by injuries from drug side effects or interactions between multiple medications. And polypharmacy – being on a pharmaceutical cocktail of different pills – is one culprit behind these adverse drug events.

The stats show women are more at risk, with a 50-75% higher chance overall of landing in the hospital from a medication side effect. Part of it is biological – a woman’s body composition means they often need lower doses and still get a standard one. But let’s be real, gender biases in how doctors prescribe play a role in overmedicating women too.

As more women become “patients for life” stuck on regimens for chronic conditions, you might ask if we’re trading one problem for another healthwise. Sure, survival rates have gone up for chronic health problems like heart disease thanks to better treatments. But at what cost if these wonder drugs end up causing side effects and reactions from continuous use for decades?

It’s a tricky balance. While medication has evolved to help people live longer, we’re getting a bit too generous with the prescriptions without fully grasping the long-term consequences, especially for women’s health. Just a thought to ponder over your morning supplements!

United States Falls Behind Other Wealthy Nations in Terms of Life Expectancy

Despite the aggressive use of medications, the U.S. continues to lag other wealthy nations in life expectancy – and the gap is growing. We need more research on whether the rewards of expanded pharmaceutical use outweigh the risks for women over the long run. But at minimum, the gender gap in medication use deserves more attention from researchers and policymakers given the still unknown consequences these medications have after decades of use.

As one expert summed it up: “We pop pills at world-record rates, often not even knowing the long-term consequences. Maybe it’s time we take a hard look at this central role medications have assumed in American life.” And for women especially, who use more medications over more years than men, we need to better understand the health implications of this overuse (in some cases) of medications.

Lifestyle Matters Too

In our go-go-go modern lives, popping pills has become the norm for dealing with high blood pressure, diabetes, depression – you name it. But here’s the thing – making positive lifestyle upgrades can seriously pay off in avoiding or even reversing some conditions altogether. And that means getting off the medication merry-go-round.

One of the biggest game-changers? Getting the recommended 150 minutes of decent exercise like power walking or 75 minutes of straight-up sweating it out can slash your risk for chronic health issues like heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and various cancers.

Plus, hitting the trails or treadmill is one of nature’s antidepressants and stress relievers. But don’t worry, you don’t have to beast mode it to get the benefits – little activity bursts throughout the day can go a long way too. Take the stairs, walk during lunch, do bodyweight squats during commercial breaks…it all counts.

Of course, cleaning up your diet is key too. Load up on fruits, veggies, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats. Cut out junk food too. This simple nutrition upgrade works wonders for keeping blood pressure, cholesterol, and weight under control without medication. Although, you shouldn’t stop taking medications without consulting your doctor.

Don’t underestimate how much positive lifestyle tweaks can prevent and sometimes even eliminate the need for long-term prescriptions and their potential side effects. A little sweat and decent fuel can work miracles for our health!

Don’t Underestimate the Power of Sleep and Stress Management Either

Don’t skimp on sleep either. As an adult, you should aim for 7-9 hours per night. Poor or insufficient sleep increases inflammation raises stress hormone levels, and negatively impacts concentration, mood, and energy levels. These factors increase the risk for obesity, heart disease, and mental health disorders.

So, make sure you’re getting enough sleep hours and practicing good sleep hygiene, like waking up at consistent times, limiting screen time before bed, and creating an optimal sleep environment. Doing these things will help you avoid prescription sleep medications.

Why is this important? Studies link long-term use of benzodiazepines, a group of meds doctors sometimes prescribe for sleep, with degenerative brain problems, like Alzheimer’s disease. Plus, they disrupt healthy sleep architecture, meaning you get less high-quality sleep.

Finally, managing your stress levels through practices like mindfulness, meditation, yoga, or journaling offers multitude whole-health benefits. Unmanaged chronic stress takes a toll on both physical and mental health, raising susceptibility to anxiety, depression, high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, and more. Carving out time for stress-relieving activities helps neutralize these effects. Even 5-10 minutes per day can make a difference.

Lifestyle can’t eliminate the need for all medications, but it can lower the risk of some chronic health conditions. Investing time and effort into self-care offers lasting rewards if you’re consistent with it. If your doctor recommends medications, keep taking them, but aim to lead a healthy lifestyle, so you may need fewer of them.

References:

“Extraordinarily High” – New Study Shows Americans Will Spend Half Their Lives Taking Prescription Drugs. SciTechDaily. Published December 10, 2023. Accessed February 24, 2024. https://scitechdaily.com/extraordinarily-high-new-study-shows-americans-will-spend-half-their-lives-taking-prescription-drugs/?utm_source=pocket_reader
Edinoff AN, Nix CA, Hollier J, et al. Benzodiazepines: Uses, Dangers, and Clinical Considerations. Neurology International. 2021;13(4):594-607. doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/neurolint13040059.