Over-Medicated America

Over-50 Medicated America HOW GREEDY DRUG COMPANIES HAVE HOOKED OUR NATION Chances are you've taken a prescription drug at some point in your life. 1 in 2 Americans are on one right now. Though medication has helped countless people over the years, drug companies, in their endless pursuit of profit, now push more medications than ever before, with the help of the FDA and unscrupulous doctors. But the vast majority of new drugs won't help you - and may even hurt you. More Americans Take Medication Than Ever Before Nearly 1/2 of Americans take a prescription drug. 1 in 4 women takes drugs for mental health conditions - much higher than the rate for men. The #1 pills prescribed are antidepressants. ANTIDEPRESSANT USE IN AMERICA - 2010 25 20 15 10 20-44 45-64 65+ Age E MEN WOMEN In the past decade, anti-depressant usage in women increased 29%. PERCENTAGE OF AMERICANS ON A PRESCRIBED DRUG 70% 50 – - 50 25 – 2000 2008 -25 From 2000 to 2008, the number of people using multiple prescription drugs has increased from 25.4% to over 31%. The number of people taking 5+ drugs has risen by 70%. For Most Drugs, No A Benefit And Some Harm SUCCESS RATE FOR PATIENTS 85% of new drugs hitting the market have been found to provide little or no benefit to patients. 100 Antidepressants typically work no better than placebos for patients. 75 In clinical trials, talk therapy alone is nearly 20% more effective than antidepressants. 50 Meanwhile, antidepressant side effects include: Nausea Weight Gain 25 Insomnia Anxiety The vast majority of prescription drugs only work for 30% of the Sex Drive Headaches Shutdown patients for which they're intended. Who's Fueling the Medication Machine? THE DRUG COMPANIES PUSHING OUT NEEDLESS DRUGS WITHOUT PROPER RESEARCH The pharmaceutical industry spent 2X more on marketing than research and development in 2008. Between 1995 and 2004: Research and Development: $31.5 BILLION IN SPENDING Marketing: $57.4 BILLION IN SPENDING 2/3 of new drugs on the market were "me-too" drugs - drugs that are extremely similar to existing ones. And they reap the profits: %3D Reports from 2010 showed 4 out of the top 12 pharmaceutical companies increased profits more than 20% since '08. Merck had a 65.2% profit increase since 2008, and cut its R&D spending by $368 million last quarter. THE FDA GETS BIG BUCKS FOR APPROVING NEW DRUGS FDA The FDA receives $260 million per year for new drug application fees. BETWEEN 1987-2004 THE FDA REVIEWED 74 ANTIDEPRESSANT STUDIES: 37 of 38 favorable antidepressant studies were published. Just 3 of 25 unfavorable studies were published. 11 other unfavorable studies were published, but twisted to seem favorable. DOCTORS GETS BIG BUCKS FOR PRESCRIBING DRUGS Between 2007-2010, lawsuits forced top drug companies to pay more than $7B for paying doctors to prescribe drugs for unapproved uses. 1/2 of physicians admit to routinely prescribing treatments they don't think will help. Why? Drug companies often pay them. And psychiatrists earn nearly 2X as much per hour by prescribing pills rather than therapy. Prescriptions Therapy Before You Accept a Prescription: Make sure you really need it healthy lifestyle Thoroughly investigate scientific research on choices often work better. the drug. Ask your doctor for the generic instead of the name brand. For depression, ask about therapy options. CREATED BY: MEDICALBILLINGANDCODINGONLINE.ORG REFERENCES: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db42.htm http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/americas-state-of- mind-new-report-finds-americans-increasingly-turn-to-medications-to-ease-their-mental-woes-women-lead-the-trend-13 3939038.html http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com2010/09/02/americans-rx-drug-use-on-the-rise/ http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/glaxo-chief-our-drugs-do-not-work-on-most-patients-575942.html http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2011/07/the-triumph-of-new-age-medicine/8554/2/ http://helpguide.org/mental/medications_depression.htm http://www.fda.gov/downloads/AboutFDA/CentersOffices/CDER/WhatWeDo/UCM078941.pdf http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080105140107.htm http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune500/2010/industries/21/index.html http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/28/us-merck-IDUSTRE79R23H20111028 http://www.oftwominds.com/journal08/Prescription-Drugs.htm http://www.alternet.org/health/149084/are_antidepressants_a_scam_5_myths_about_how_to_treat_depression?page=3 http://www.propublica.org/article/lawsuits-say-pharma-illegally-paid-doctors-to-push-their-drugs http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/06/health/policy/06doctors.html?pagewanted=28_r=1 Cc O9O This Work is Licensed Under a Creative Commons License BY NC ND PI50 10.0124SOI PBOSOI0.00 %24 %24 %24 %24 %24 CEED