Nearly 50% take prescription drugs

[maureenho]

Half of women and 43% of men in England are now regularly taking prescription drugs, according to the comprehensive Health Survey for England.

By James Gallagher Health editor, BBC News website

10 December 2014 Last updated at 10:14

Cholesterol-lowering statins, pain relief and anti-depressants were among the most prescribed medicines.

The report, by the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC), showed an average of 18.7 prescriptions per person in England in 2013.

The cost to the NHS was in excess of £15bn-a-year.

More than a fifth of men and nearly a quarter of women were taking at least three prescriptions.

All the figures exclude contraceptives and smoking cessation products.

Nearly a third of prescriptions were for cardiovascular disease with more than 65 million prescriptions for tackling high blood pressure, heart failure or cholesterol levels.

Simvastatin - which lowers cholesterol - was the single most prescribed item with 40 million prescriptions.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-30411246

[annie]

That number is surprising