For the first time, it appears that more than half of all insured Americans are 
taking prescription medicines regularly for chronic health problems, a study 
shows.  The most widely used drugs are those to lower high blood pressure and 
cholesterol -- problems often linked to heart disease, obesity and diabetes.  The 
numbers were gathered last year by Medco Health Solutions Inc., which manages 
prescription benefits for about one in five Americans.  The report notes that 
Americans buy much more medicine per person than any other country. But it was 
unclear how their prescriptions compare to those of insured people elsewhere. 

Medco's data show that last year, 51 percent of American children and adults 
were taking one or more prescription drugs for a chronic condition, up from 50 
percent the previous four years and 47 percent in 2001. Most of the drugs are 
taken daily, although some are needed less often.  The company examined 
prescription records from 2001 to 2007 of a representative sample of 2.5 million 
customers, from newborns to the elderly.  Medication use for chronic problems 
was seen in all demographic groups:
Almost two-thirds of women 20 and older.
One in four children and teenagers.
52 percent of adult men.
Three out of four people 65 or older.
Among seniors, 28 percent of women and nearly 22 percent of men take five or 
more medicines regularly.

In one-on-one interviews with 700 Americans, roughly 23 percent reported loaning 
their prescription medications to someone else, and 27 percent reported borrowing 
prescription medications.  The medications most frequently shared (loaned or 
borrowed) were allergy drugs like Allegra (25 percent), followed by pain 
medications like Darvoset and OxyContin (22 percent); and antibiotics like 
amoxicillin (21 percent). Seven percent of those interviewed said they shared 
mood-altering drugs like Paxil, Zoloft, Ritalin and Valium. A little more than 6 
percent said they shared the prescription anti-acne drug Accutane and about 5 
percent shared birth control pills.

The survey also showed that Whites (23 percent) and Hispanics (26 percent) 
were more apt to share prescription pain medicines than were African Americans 
(14 percent). Women were more apt than men to share antibiotics (24 percent vs. 
12 percent).  People seemed most willing to share prescription medicine when the 
medication came from a family member, they had a prescription for a particular 
medication but ran out of it or did not have it with them, or they had an 
emergency.

“Prescription medication sharing can lead to adverse outcomes at the societal 
level through such consequences as ineffective use of the health system and 
increased antibiotic resistance, and at the personal level through such effects as 
decreased treatment efficacy and increased risk for side effects and drug 
interactions,” the study’s authors said.   

[From: Beyond Abuse and Exposure: Framing the Impact of Prescription-
Medication Sharing. Contact: Richard C. Goldsworthy, PhD, Academic Edge, Inc., 
Bloomington, Ind., rick@academicedge.com

New guides that compare the benefits, risks, and price estimates of rheumatoid 
arthritis drugs are now available from the Effective Health Care program of the 
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ. The guide for consumers, 
Rheumatoid Arthritis Medicines, A Guide for Adults, and the guide for 
clinicians, Choosing Medications for Rheumatoid Arthritis, draw on information in a 
recent AHRQ-funded comparative effectiveness review.  The rheumatoid arthritis 
guides review three classes of available medicines: synthetic disease-modifying 
antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), biologic DMARDs, and corticosteroids.  These 
publications represent AHRQ's eighth comparative effectiveness report translated 
into plain language guides.  Other topics include treatments for high blood 
pressure, depression, diabetes, osteoarthritis, renal artery stenosis, and 
gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).  All of the guides can be viewed at the 
Effective Health Care Web site.  Print copies are available by e-mailing to 
ahrqpubs@ahrq.hhs.gov.  Organizations are encouraged to post links to the 
guides on Web sites or in newsletters.

Many people have trouble keeping track of their medicines. A pill card is a simple, 
visual way to show all of the medicines that a person needs to take on a regular 
basis. The pill card uses pictures and simple phrases to show each medicine, its 
purpose, how much to take, and when to take it. It is easier to understand than 
the complicated information and instructions that typically come with medicines.  
This 10-page guide, prepared under contract for the Agency for Healthcare 
Research and Quality (AHRQ), provides step-by-step instructions for creating a pill 
card for a pretend patient, Sarah, who takes simvastatin, furosemide, and insulin. 
Step-by-step instructions, sample clip art, and suggestions for design and use will 
help to customize a reminder card.

The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) today signed 
a formal agreement with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the 
American Pharmacists Association (APhA) to help protect the nation's fish and 
aquatic resources from the improper disposal of medication.  The campaign -- 
dubbed "SMARxT DISPOSAL" -- will inform people on how to safely dispose of 
medicines in the trash, and highlight the environmental threat posed from flushing 
medicines down the toilet.  APhA, PhRMA and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 
say these small steps can make a huge difference:
DO NOT FLUSH unused medications or POUR them down a sink or drain.   
Dispose of Unused Medication in Household Trash.   
Check for Approved State and Local Collection Programs. 
Consult Your Pharmacist with any questions.