Prescription Drug Use in the United States, 1988-2020
Data Brief
This Data Brief shows sex-segregated data of the prevalence of use of prescription drugs in the United States (U.S.) between 1988 and 2020—the last year these data were made available by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Participants were asked about many prescriptions they have used in the past 30 days.
At Least One Prescription Drug in the Past 30 Days
Use of at least one prescription drug in the past 30 days increased for both males and females around the year 2001 but then remained roughly the same over the subsequent twenty years.
A sex difference in the prevalence of use of at least one prescription drug has been present the entire time, with females more likely than males to have used at least one prescription drug over the past 30 days.
In 2017-20, 50.1% of females and 43.3% of males used at least one prescription drug in the past 30 days.
Three or More Prescription Drugs in the Past 30 Days
Use of three or more prescription drugs in the past 30 days increased for both males and females around the year 2003 but then trends thereafter differed slightly between the sexes. The prevalence of use among females plateaued, whereas the prevalence of use among males increased gradually over time.
A sex difference in the prevalence of use of three or more prescription drugs has been present the entire time, with females more likely than males to have used three or more prescription drugs over the past 30 days.
In 2017-20, 23.2% of females and 20.4% of males used three or more prescription drug in the past 30 days.
Five or More Prescription Drugs in the Past 30 Days
Use of five or more prescription drugs in the past 30 days increased for both males and females around the year 2003 but then trends thereafter differed slightly between the sexes. The prevalence of use among females plateaued for several years, whereas the prevalence of use among males increased gradually over time.
A sex difference in the prevalence of use of five or more prescription drugs has been present the entire time, with females more likely than males to have used five or more prescription drugs over the past 30 days.
In 2017-20, 12.1% of females and 11.3% of males used three or more prescription drug in the past 30 days.
Sources
Data from 1988-94 to 2013-16: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Table 38. Prescription drug use in the past 30 days, by sex, race and Hispanic origin, and age: United States, selected years 1988–1994 through 2013–2016.
Data from 2017-20: NCHS Data Query website.
Bonus Commentary
The data in the graph show that women in the U.S. are more likely than men in the U.S. to be using prescription drugs. Below are some explanations for this result:
Many women in the U.S. take prescribed contraceptives (i.e., “the pill”).
Women in the U.S. are more likely than men in the U.S. to be using medications for pain. One study found that 12.6% of women in the U.S. and 8.7% of men in the U.S. reported using prescribed pain medications in the past 30 days.
Women in the U.S. are more likely than men in the U.S. to be using medications for mental health issues. In 2020, 21.2% of women and 11.5% of men in the U.S. reported using prescribed medications for their mental health in the past year. In 2023, 15.3% of women and 7.4% of men in the U.S. reported using prescription medications specifically for depression that year.
Women in the U.S. are also more likely than men in the U.S. to be using medications for sleep, though it is unclear if these medications are prescribed or self-prescribed.
Adolescent girls in the U.S. are more likely than adolescent males to be using prescribed medications for obesity.
Greater use of prescription drugs among women than men is most likely explained by greater prevalence of certain health conditions among women than men (e.g., depression, pain). One might also consider whether (a) women are being over-prescribed medication; (b) women are asking for prescription medications at higher rates than men; (c) men are being under-prescribed medications; or (d) men are rejecting use of prescription medications at higher rates than women.
Either way, prescription drug use in the U.S. is high by international standards. For example, use of prescription drugs in the U.S. is higher than in Canada, with use of anti-depressants, high blood pressure medications, and cholesterol medications notably different between the two countries.
In the U.S., prescription drug use is high, in part, because many Americans have poor health. Another contributing factor, in my opinion, is lack of personal responsibility for health, which then results in an outsourcing of health responsibility to doctors, medications, and other external sources. Until Americans take ownership of their bodies – what they choose to put into them and how they choose to move them – population-level improvements in health outcomes are unlikely to be realized anytime soon.
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Fascinating. I wonder also, if a part of women's taking more meds is simply due to their visiting the doc more frequently. Men go less often and I am betting they complain less when they go and this creates more drugs for the ladies.