This project explores explores the usage of prescription drugs in the USA as reported by the CDC in “Table 39. Prescription drug use in the past 30 days, by sex, race and Hispanic origin, and age: United States, selected years 1988–1994 through 2015–2018.”
Table 39, which stops at the Year Range 2015-2018, is the most recent data publicly available. The source data is downloadable from the CDC as an Excel file and a PDF.
The data shows over time a disturbing prevalence towards polypharmacy: the “use of multiple medications by a patient.” This prevalence is consistent across all four Age Groups in the data set: Under 18, 18-44, 45-64, and 65 & older.
The drastic increase in polypharmacy has both public health and environmental implications. Please see the following reports by the NIH, the U.S. Geological Survey, and Circle of Blue, to start.
This project has an associated dashboard at RPubs: Polypharmacy USA.
The report was completed for the Substack American Exile.
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Data Humanist
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Polypharmacy USA.
This work is published from:
Cambodia.
