Prescription Drug Use in the United States, 2015-2016

Abstract

Monitoring prescription drug use patterns at the population level (1) can inform research and clinical practice. These patterns may shift over time in response to changing health needs, updated clinical guidelines (2), policy changes, and other factors (1,3). The percentage of the U.S. population that used one or more prescription drugs increased from 1999-2000 through 2007-2008 (4). This report describes prescription drug use by age, sex, and race and Hispanic origin in 2015-2016 and trends over the preceding decade.