Did you know acetaminophen is the most common drug ingredient in the U.S., found in more than 600
over-the-counter and prescription medicines? The National Council on Patient Information and
Education (NCPIE) has joined with the National Alliance for Hispanic Health and other members of
the Acetaminophen Awareness Coalition to promote safe use of acetaminophen in Spanish-speaking
communities in both English and Spanish. 

NSAIDs, including prescription drugs and over-the-counter pain relievers like Motrin, Aleve and
ibuprofen, are some of the most commonly used medications in the United States. As a member of the
Alliance for Rational Use of NSAIDs, the National Council on Patient Information and Education
(NCPIE) is working to help patients and healthcare providers better understand the risks and
benefits of using NSAIDs, as well as how to manage those risks. 

Quick NSAID facts:

• More than 23 million Americans use NSAIDs every day.

• Dose and duration are the two biggest factors that influence the risks associated with NSAIDs.

• Heart, kidney and digestive risks are associated with the overuse and misuse of NSAIDs.

• To minimize NSAID risks, take the lowest effective dosage for the shortest period of time.

The Alliance for Rational Use of NSAIDs is a public health coalition dedicated to educating people
about the safe and appropriate use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). 

In 2011, Americans spent $45 billion out-of-pocket on retail prescription drugs. Some adults reduce
prescription drug costs by skipping doses and delaying filling prescriptions.  Some cost-reduction
strategies used by adults have been associated with negative health outcomes. For example, adults
who do not take prescription medication as prescribed have been shown to have poorer health status
and increased emergency room use, hospitalizations, and cardiovascular events. This CDC report
analyzes different strategies used by U.S. adults to reduce their prescription drug costs, by age,
health insurance status, and poverty status, using data from the 2011 National Health Interview
Survey (NHIS).

Previous studies have found that more than 48% of Americans took at least one prescription drug in
the past month.  However, some people do not take medication as prescribed. Adults who do not take
prescription medication as prescribed have been shown to have poorer health status and increased
emergency room use, hospitalizations, and cardiovascular events. This study provides a baseline to
track strategies used by adults to reduce their prescription drug costs on a national level for all
adults and for subgroups defined by insurance status and poverty level. This report also
contributes to the body of literature on the potential burden of prescription drug costs among
vulnerable populations including the uninsured and those who are poor.  

Adults who were poor, near poor, or uninsured were more likely to not take medication as prescribed
to reduce their prescription drug costs. Adults aged 65 and over generally were less likely than
adults aged 18–64 to use strategies to reduce their prescription drug costs. Health insurance may,
in some cases, result in access to drugs but this might not always be the case, even for those over
age 65 who may have multiple forms of coverage (such as Medicare and private insurance, or who may
be "dual eligible" for Medicare and Medicaid).  Adults aged 65 and over with Medicare-only coverage
were more likely than those with private or those with Medicare and Medicaid coverage to ask their
doctor for a lower-cost medication to save money. Differences in use of cost-saving strategies were
found by insurance status for those aged 18–64. Privately insured adults aged 18–64 were more
likely than those with Medicaid coverage to ask their doctors for a lower-cost medication, however
they were less likely than those with Medicaid coverage to not take medication as prescribed. 

Key Findings

• Adults aged 18–64 and those aged 65 and over were equally likely to have asked their doctor
for a lower-cost medication to save money on prescription drugs (19.8% and 20.3%, respectively).

• Adults aged 18–64 were twice as likely to not have taken medication as prescribed to save
money (12.6%) compared with adults aged 65 and over (5.8%). 

• Among adults aged 18–64, uninsured adults (23.1%) were more likely than those with Medicaid
(13.6%) or those with private coverage (8.7%) to not have taken medication as prescribed to save
money.  

• Among adults aged 65 and over, those with only Medicare coverage were more likely to ask
their doctor for a lower-cost medication to save money (24.9%) compared with those who had private
coverage (20.1%) and those with Medicare and Medicaid (14.7%) coverage. 

Note:  This report focused only on cost-related strategies used by adults to reduce their
prescription medication costs. There are other barriers to medication adherence including those not
related to cost that are not measured in NHIS.

(Source:  Cohen RA, Kirzinger WK, Gindi RM. Strategies used by adults to reduce their prescription
drug costs. NCHS data brief, no 119. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2013.)

The Pass It Forward Video Challenge invites young people age 18-25 to create a 2-minute video that
uses social media to imaginatively promote use of the prevention and recovery resources noted
below, in response to the question, “What creative strategies can help ensure that these tools land
in, and are used by college campuses (including healthcare professional students) and communities
across the country.”  Contestants may focus on one, two, three, four or all of these websites.  

• Maximizing Your Role as a Teen
Influencer: Teen Influencer Workshop
• RecoveryOpensDoors.org
• SAMHSA’s National Recovery Month
• SAMHSA’s Substance Abuse Treatment
Services Locator
• Taking Action to
Prevent & Address Prescription Drug Abuse: A Resource Kit for America’s College Campuses

The video submission deadline is June 7, 2013. 

NCPIE will host a series of webinars to provide details about the Pass It Forward Video Challenge.
 First, Second and Third-place winners, selected in June 2013, will receive prizes and
acknowledgement described below.  

 Webinar 1 - Pass It Forward Video Challenge – Say What? 

Date/Time: Wednesday, April 25, 2013 – 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM EDT 

• Get the specifics on the Pass It Forward Video Challenge.
• Review the five websites and the web platform.       
• Discover how to use social media and video to promote messages and materials.
• Learn the facts about prescription drug abuse and resources for addressing the problem.
• Ask competition questions, and get answers.

Click here to register
 

Webinar 2 – Pass It Forward Video Challenge – Say What? (Repeat performance) 

Date/Time:  Thursday, May 9, 2013 - 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM EDT 

A repeat performance of webinar 1 (above) offered to those who were not available for webinar. 

Click here to register
 

Webinar 3 – Pass It Forward Video Challenge - The Envelope Please!

Date/Time: Thursday, June 27, 2013 - 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM EDT 

• Meet the winners of the Pass It Forward Video Challenge.
• Ask questions and talk about next steps.

Click here to register

 

Webinar 4 – Pass It Forward Video Challenge – Your Comments

Date/Time: Thursday, July 11, 2013, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM EDT 

• Tell us how we can do it better next time. 
• Share your ideas on other challenges we should consider. 

Click here to register

 

Pass It Forward Video Challenge Prizes

First prize – an IPad® and trip to Washington DC in September to meet with SAMHSA leadership and
well-known leaders of national organizations, and participate in SAMHSA’s 2013 National Recovery
Month kick-off. The winning video submission will also be shown at the SAMHSA kickoff event and
showcased on multiple NCPIE websites, including www.passitforward.info. 

Second Prize – an Apple IPad® and posting of video on the Pass It Forward site.

Third Prize – an Apple ITouch® and posting of video on the Pass It Forward site.

To learn more about the Pass It Forward Video Challenge, contact Barb Cooper @ cooper@ncpie.info  

Support for development of the Pass It Forward Video Challenge is provided by the Substance Abuse
and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

On Saturday, April 27, 2013 from 10 AM to 2 PM, thousands of Drug Enforcement Administration
(DEA)-coordinated collection sites will be available across the country, and consumers are
encouraged to safely and legally dispose of any unneeded pills, including prescription pain
medications and other controlled substance medications, as these pills can only be accepted for
disposal when law enforcement is present .Now available on the DEA web site a Drug Take-Back Day
collection site locator enables consumers to search for a nearby disposal location. This take-back
service is free and anonymous, with no questions asked. Sites will accept tablets, capsules, and
all other solid dosage forms of unwanted medication. Personal information may be blacked out on
prescription bottles, or medications may be emptied from the bottles into the bins provided at the
events.