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(Image source: Wikimedia Commons / ParentingPatch)
BY MATT MORENO
A new study says doctors and patients alike are abusing prescription drugs, and the nation's
taxpayers are footing the bill.
A study for IMS Health finds misuse or unnecessary use of prescription drugs by doctors and patients
is costing the nation more than $200 billion. That's 8 percent of the country's total annual
health care expenses.
The largest amount of wasted money, about $105 billion, is from patients not adhering
to their doctors' advice and later dealing with more severe medical issues. (Via Los
Angeles Times)
But patients aren't the only ones to blame. The study says delays in applying evidence-based
treatment early on to patients is to blame for $40 billion dollars of negligent spending.
(Via Fox News)
The release of this study comes just days after a Mayo Clinic study found a majority
of Americans are on prescription drugs.
That study states 70 percent of people in the U.S. are on prescription drugs, with 50
percent of them on multiple drugs. The study also found 20 percent of Americans are on
five or more different drugs. (Via Breitbart)
It says the most common drugs are antibiotics, antidepressants and painkillers. (Via WGCL)
In a media release, one of the doctors working on the study says, "The second most common
prescription was for antidepressants — that suggests mental health is a huge issue and
is something we should focus on." (Via Mayo Foundation)
But, the spending on prescription drugs isn't expected to stop anytime soon. Mayo Clinic
researchers say it's expected to grow in the coming years.