Most Medicated State in America

There is no such thing as a home in which you do not find proper amount of medicine. Even though if they are just for the monthly women problem. While in the beginnings, medicines were something that did not exist, people used to treat themselves and whatever problem might have aroused with plants, with tea and whatever they could find in handy. However the medicine is something that is so developed these days, as the vast majority of us ask themselves what would they do without it and how would the world be, if there will be any.

Despite of this belief it is not such a thing that we cannot live without. It is something that molds on us and we will find our way through life without it, too. The thing is that we do not want to nor do we have time to give it so many thoughts.

That is why, studies show that the expenses on prescriptions have multiplied nearly six times in 18 years period. The prescriptions have the same increase; therefore, the number of prescriptions has increased with 39 % in 10 years time compared to a growth of the population of only 9 %.

West Virginia is the most medicated state in the United States. The retail prescription filled per capita id of 18.4. The next in line is Tennessee, which retail prescription per capita is of 16.9; followed by Alabama – 16.7; Kentucky – 16.5; Arkansas – 16.4; South Carolina – 16.3; Mississippi – 15.9; Iowa – 15.3; Missouri – 15; Vermont – 15. From these states taken into consideration were medicines that are used to treat obesity, heart disease

or diabetes.

Therefore, it is highly observed that in West Virginia many patients have comorbid conditions that require many drugs to intake, in order to be able to treat it. From the total number of the adult population, in West Virginia there are 12.3% with diabetes, more than 68% of the total population number of adults suffer from obesity, 27% are smokers, 30% register a poor mental health and 20% are registered to have a certain disability.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention out of 229,400 deaths in West Virginia, 100,000 were the result of heart disease. The fact that the State does not limit the number of prescriptions is a good thing. As if they did they could not handle the big number of people that are ill. Therefore, the State had 393,187 medical beneficiaries in 2009.

This increase of drug use is due to the increase in obesity, diabetes and heart diseases rate nationwide; “Many people equate taking medication with getting better,” says Paul Doering, professor in the department of pharmacotherapy and translational research at the University of Florida College of Pharmacy. “My mantra when it comes to prescriptions is ‘less is more’ for a lot of reasons — not only financial, but also because those drugs can hurt you sometimes.”

Even though the vast majority of people take prescriptions as they are in need to, there is as well a small number that misuse the prescriptions. Therefore, the pain killers are the second most drug that is used after marijuana – one more reason for which some states have started to control the medication program and all the prescriptions.

Some of the drugs that were used abusive in 2009, without having so much need of them, were hydrocodone, Lisinopril, Simvastatin, Levothyroxine and Amoxicilin. Anyhow, it is believed and as well a natural thing to consider, that as long as people start living a healthier lifestyle, they will no longer need so much medications.