Almost half of all adults take prescription drugs

“Half of women and 43% of men in England are now regularly taking prescription drugs,” BBC News reports. The figures have come to light as part of a new survey into drug prescribing patterns. According to the survey (The Health Survey for England 2013), commonly prescribed medications included: cholesterol-lowering statins medications used to treat high blood pressure, such as ACE inhibitors painkillers, including non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as diclofenac (non-prescription NSAIDs such as ibuprofen were not included in the survey) There was also media controversy over the number of antidepressants being prescribed – particularly for women on a low income. Nearly one in five women from economically deprived areas were taking antidepressants. The Health Survey for England 2013 also monitored other trends in the nation’s health, including people’s weight, smoking habits, fruit and vegetable consumption, and shift work.    Who produced the data? The report was produced by the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC), the official provider of national health and social care statistics. The HSCIC was set up by the government in April 2013. Its role is to provide information on a range of aspects concerning health for use by commissioners, analysts and clinicians in driving patient services. In the interests of transparency we should point out that the Behind the Headlines team, along with all NHS Choices staff, is em...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Medical practice Medication QA articles Source Type: news