# Prescription drugs: Are they really that prevalent? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 14, 2012, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prescription-drugs-are-they-really-that-prevalent/609464 "2012-01-14T02:13:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2012, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prescription-drugs-are-they-really-that-prevalent/609464/21 "2012-01-14T06:21:30Z")
No prescription drugs at all ever would be unusual, if you include antibiotics, but I’d expect some people of fifty to have never needed them or at least managed without ever taking them. So yes, you’d be unusual, but in the same way that men of 6’4"are unusual. Bear in mind that a lot of long-term prescription drugs (assuming that, as a man, you’re excluding birth control) are for things like asthma, diabetes and epilepsy. It’s not like those are made-up conditions or uncommon. ---
**Author:** ![JoelUpchurch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f05b48/32.png) [@JoelUpchurch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoelUpchurch)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2012, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prescription-drugs-are-they-really-that-prevalent/609464/22 "2012-01-14T13:59:08Z")
Based on this article, taking anti-depressants is becoming increasingly common and is often prescribed for conditions than actual depression. [http://yourlife.usatoday.com/health/medical/treatments/story/2011/08/Study-Americans-use-of-antidepressants-on-the-rise/49828766/1](http://yourlife.usatoday.com/health/medical/treatments/story/2011/08/Study-Americans-use-of-antidepressants-on-the-rise/49828766/1) > [@](#): > > The drugs prescribed to patients without a diagnosed mental health condition were more likely provided to white women between the ages of 35-64 and patients with public insurance and chronic medical conditions, such as diabetes and heart disease. The data also suggested that people complaining of nervousness, sleep problems, sexual dysfunction and an inability to quit smoking may be taking antidepressants, the study said. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2012, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prescription-drugs-are-they-really-that-prevalent/609464/23 "2012-01-14T14:12:20Z")
> [@JoelUpchurch](#): > > I’m in my fifties also and don’t take any prescriptions either. I’m quite surprised at the number of people who appear to be younger and healthier than me, that take prescription medication, especially the number of people that take anti-depressants. I’m not sure I follow the logic. You think that only the old and sick suffer from depression? ---
**Author:** ![spunkymuzicnote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@spunkymuzicnote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spunkymuzicnote)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2012, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prescription-drugs-are-they-really-that-prevalent/609464/24 "2012-01-14T14:18:46Z")
delete post ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2012, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prescription-drugs-are-they-really-that-prevalent/609464/25 "2012-01-14T14:58:21Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > I’ll be 50 this year. > > The only prescription drug I can ever remember taking is some form of mega-Tylenol when I cracked my melon about 30 years ago. > > I honestly have never been subscribed a drug since then. > > Am I an anomaly? Possibly. Now, the real anomaly was my dad, who was hospitalized with pneumonia at 81. The medical staff just _could not believe_ he wasn’t on SOME prescription or other. They kept wanting to run tests _certain_ something had been overlooked. It hadn’t. He really was _that healthy_ (aside, of course, from the pneumonia, which he got over). He’s a little older now and I think he’s on one prescription now. I let him and my-sister-the-doctor worry about that - I’ve got enough on my own plate right now. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2012, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prescription-drugs-are-they-really-that-prevalent/609464/26 "2012-01-14T15:12:28Z")
Yes I do beleive prescription drugs are more prevalent. I think a lot of docs expect to write some sort of scrip for, you know, that satisfied customer feedback. IIRC I don’t think I’ve ever had an scrip for antibiotics, my kids have once or twice… I’m not on BC, take uppers,downers, or sideways drugs either. No libido pick me uppers or mood stabilizers in my med cabinet. My Mom would spray Lysol about the house and “will” the rest of us to stay healthy… it was just not our way to go seek help at the docs office for every ailment. ---
**Author:** ![JoelUpchurch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f05b48/32.png) [@JoelUpchurch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoelUpchurch)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2012, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prescription-drugs-are-they-really-that-prevalent/609464/27 "2012-01-14T15:55:09Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > I’m not sure I follow the logic. You think that only the old and sick suffer from depression? What I found remarkable is the use of anti-depressants by people who display no signs of depression. If you look at the link I posted just before you, you will see that it has become quite common to prescribe anti-depressants for problems that have nothing to do with depression or any other psychiatric problem. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2012, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prescription-drugs-are-they-really-that-prevalent/609464/28 "2012-01-14T16:03:36Z")
Thread I started a couple years ago: [Am I the only one who does not take any kind of medication?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=545148) FTR, I’m 44, and can’t remember the last time I took a prescription drug. I can’t even remember the last time I got sick. Last time I went to the doctor was in high school. I attribute my good fortune to drinking copious amounts of beer. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2012, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prescription-drugs-are-they-really-that-prevalent/609464/29 "2012-01-14T16:24:22Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > Last time I went to the doctor was in high school. Or two years ago for a checkup. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2012, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prescription-drugs-are-they-really-that-prevalent/609464/30 "2012-01-14T16:39:56Z")
Drug companies are in business to make money. They want everybody to be on several “medications.” This is something I hate with a passion. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2012, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prescription-drugs-are-they-really-that-prevalent/609464/31 "2012-01-14T16:40:30Z")
I remember feeling quite proud that I had been drug-free. I got to my 30s without ever getting a prescription filled. I felt superiority to all the druggies around me. Then, when I was told I should get on some drugs, I resisted. I tried to tough it out without them, but eventually I relented. There were lots of times when I regretted this, but now I’m afraid to give them up. I hope one day I can go back to a drug-free existence. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2012, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prescription-drugs-are-they-really-that-prevalent/609464/32 "2012-01-14T19:04:05Z")
When I was 50, I think the only prescription I was taking was an antidepressant. But in the 16 years since then, I’ve been diagnosed with: Type 2 diabetes (1 pill and two insulin injections daily) Hypertension (4 pills) High cholesterol and triglycerides (2 pills plus fish oil capsules) Low testosterone (an injection every 2 weeks) Seborrhea (daily ointment and shampoo) Loss of cartilage in knees (cortisone injections) . . . and occasional random infections. Plus several supplements. This amounts to a handful of pills every day, not counting the injections. Plus, in the next several months I’ll be having open-heart surgery and knee replacement surgery, each accompanied by more prescriptions. My drug store should name a wing after me. ---
**Author:** ![obbn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/d6d6ee/32.png) [@obbn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obbn)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2012, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prescription-drugs-are-they-really-that-prevalent/609464/33 "2012-01-14T19:11:26Z")
As with others in this thread I am on several prescriptions daily and will be probably for the rest of my life. Gets quite expensive. ---
**Author:** ![kushiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kushiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kushiel)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2012, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prescription-drugs-are-they-really-that-prevalent/609464/34 "2012-01-14T19:31:01Z")
> [@obbn](#): > > As with others in this thread I am on several prescriptions daily and will be probably for the rest of my life. Gets quite expensive. Speaking of this…so I just found out my pharmacy was not sending in my insurance claims for over a year. I know, I know, how could I not monitor my bank statements more closely? But anyway, I just sent in the big claim for 15 months of prescriptions I had been paying out of pocket - $1800. Ugh. I’m a lifer on one prescription for anxiety. I’ve been on a few other antidepressants and benzos to compliment it over the years. And I’m on the ‘uterus-no-vacancy’ pill as well. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2012, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prescription-drugs-are-they-really-that-prevalent/609464/35 "2012-01-14T19:59:41Z")
> [@JoelUpchurch](#): > > What I found remarkable is the use of anti-depressants by people who display no signs of depression. If you look at the link I posted just before you, you will see that it has become quite common to prescribe anti-depressants for problems that have nothing to do with depression or any other psychiatric problem. Maybe the antibiotics are working. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2012, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prescription-drugs-are-they-really-that-prevalent/609464/36 "2012-01-14T20:10:35Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Canadian. But why should that matter? I’m Canadian, and most people I know are on at least one prescription drug. My father’s on eight. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2012, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prescription-drugs-are-they-really-that-prevalent/609464/37 "2012-01-14T20:12:25Z")
> [@JoelUpchurch](#): > > What I found remarkable is the use of anti-depressants by people who display no signs of depression. If you look at the link I posted just before you, you will see that it has become quite common to prescribe anti-depressants for problems that have nothing to do with depression or any other psychiatric problem. The thing is, the drugs in question aren’t magical depression-specific drugs. They’re things like serotonin reuptake inhibitors or monoamine oxidase inhibitors. Sometimes they do work on other problems, like smoking cessation. I took nortriptyline for a while for migraine prevention; the drug class is called a tricyclic antidepressant but it works mostly by inhibiting reuptake of norepinephrine and serotonin. Now I do believe that you need to watch out for overprescribing any medication, but many drugs do have proven off-label benefits. Me, I’m on one “prescription medication”; I have a Mirena (hormonal) IUD implant that both wipes out my migraines (_knocking wood_) that seem to run in my family, and also works as a contraceptive. ---
**Author:** ![JoelUpchurch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f05b48/32.png) [@JoelUpchurch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoelUpchurch)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2012, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prescription-drugs-are-they-really-that-prevalent/609464/38 "2012-01-14T21:56:20Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > The thing is, the drugs in question aren’t magical depression-specific drugs. They’re things like serotonin reuptake inhibitors or monoamine oxidase inhibitors. Sometimes they do work on other problems, like smoking cessation. I took nortriptyline for a while for migraine prevention; the drug class is called a tricyclic antidepressant but it works mostly by inhibiting reuptake of norepinephrine and serotonin. > > Now I do believe that you need to watch out for overprescribing any medication, but many drugs do have proven off-label benefits. > > Me, I’m on one “prescription medication”; I have a Mirena (hormonal) IUD implant that both wipes out my migraines (_knocking wood_) that seem to run in my family, and also works as a contraceptive. I also believe in the placebo effect and that what passes for ‘proof’ in medical research is mostly malarkey and that goes double for anything that is financed by the drug companies. [http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2010/11/lies-damned-lies-and-medical-science/8269/](http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2010/11/lies-damned-lies-and-medical-science/8269/) [http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pmed.0020124](http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pmed.0020124) ---
**Author:** ![FlyByNight512](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/82dd89/32.png) [@FlyByNight512](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyByNight512)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2012, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prescription-drugs-are-they-really-that-prevalent/609464/39 "2012-01-14T22:00:12Z")
> [@JoelUpchurch](#): > > What I found remarkable is the use of anti-depressants by people who display no signs of depression. That’s because the antidepressants are working. 😛 Also keep in mind that most people with depression hide it while in public. By the time someone’s noticeably depressed to the majority of people around them, it’s really severe. IMHO the current ‘epidemic’ of depression is due partially to environmental reasons (our bodies are not designed to eat processed foods and sit at desks under florescent lights) and partially due to being able to identify and fix it far better than we could twenty years ago. Undoubtedly there are some people who use antidepressants who would really be better off with another approach to their problems, but I don’t think it’s a huge percentage. ---
**Author:** ![brittekland](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@brittekland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brittekland)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2012, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prescription-drugs-are-they-really-that-prevalent/609464/40 "2012-01-14T22:22:09Z")
People get very good at hiding what they think is their short coming… people don’t think they are sick right away and blame themselves. People right next to them think they are the happiest people. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prescription-drugs-are-they-really-that-prevalent/609464.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prescription-drugs-are-they-really-that-prevalent/609464.md?page=3)