The number of American adults who are using multiple medications and supplements is rising, with potentially dangerous side effects.
Researchers from the University of Illinois and Johns Hopkins just published new data in JAMA on medicine use in the US over a five-year period, from 2005-'06 to 2010-'11. What they found were increases in nearly every category examined.
During that time, the prevalence of prescription medication use among older American adults (62 to 85 years old) shot up from 84 percent to 88 percent. That means nearly 90 percent of older folks in this country are on at least one drug.
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