Prevalence of Over-the-Counter and Prescription Medication Use in the US

In the US, reliance on over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription medications has important public health implications. Understanding the prevalence of medication use, overall and by specific medication, aids in regulatory decision-making and pharmacoeconomic evaluations and informs measures of benefits and risks.

To estimate the current prevalence of OTC and prescription medication use in the US adult population.

This survey study analyzed data collected via a population-based, online survey of the US adult population (June 2023 to April 2024). Participants were volunteer online panelists aged 18 years and older.

Use of any OTC or prescription medication.

The primary outcome was prevalence of OTC and prescription medication use (overall and by specific medication), stratified by sex and age. Prevalence estimates were generated by calculating the proportion of the population reporting the key outcomes.

Of the 21 000 participants, 11 171 (53.2%) were female, and the mean (SD) age was 47.9 (17.5) years. Past-7-day prevalence of OTC or prescription medication use was 62.3% (13 073 individuals). The use of 5 or more medications was reported by 3425 participants (16.3%), and 690 (3.3%) reported taking 10 or more medications. Although use was higher among female individuals (7442 participants [66.6%]) than among male individuals (5631 participants [57.3%]), the patterns of increasing use and increasing number of medications with age were similar. The past-7-day prevalence of OTC medication use (9657 participants [46.0%]) was similar to that of prescription medications (9719 participants [46.3%]). Acetaminophen (6184 participants [29.4%]), ibuprofen (4693 participants [22.3%]), and aspirin (3323 participants [15.8%]) were the most reported medications used in the past 7 days. Six of the 10 most prevalent medications reported were available OTC. The most reported prescription medications were atorvastatin (1342 participants [6.4%]), lisinopril (1163 participants [5.5%]), levothyroxine (1086 participants [5.2%]), and amlodipine (965 participants [4.6%]).

In this 2023 to 2024 study, nearly 2 of 3 US adults reported medication use in the past 7 days. Past-7-day prevalence of OTC and prescription medication use was similar, demonstrating the reliance on these therapies and highlighting the importance of accessibility. Medication-specific prevalence allows for a better understanding of actual use and the ability to estimate potential benefits and risks associated with medication access or regulatory changes. Continued monitoring is necessary to measure the benefits and risks of regulatory decisions or other market changes that may affect medication access or use.