
While it’s bad enough that almost half of the entire US population (48.7 percent) has used at least one of the most common prescription drugs in the past 30 days, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over 10 percent of the population has used a whopping 5 or more of these drugs in the last month (1)! (updated Apr 27 2020)
And these medications are certainly not cheap. Statistics show that “between 2013 and 2015, the average annual drug spending for patients who stay in community hospitals increased by 23.4 percent, from $5.2 million to $6.5 million. And on a per admission basis, hospital spending on drugs jumped nearly 39 percent, to $990.” (2)
Drugged-up
What’s worse is that the number of children prescribed dangerous drugs is on the rise. Doctors seem to prescribe medication without being concerned with the side-effects.
Worldwide, 17 million children, some as young as five years old, are given a variety of different prescription drugs, including psychiatric drugs that are dangerous enough that regulatory agencies in Europe, Australia, and the US have issued warnings on the side effects that include suicidal thoughts and aggressive behavior.
According to Fight For Kids, an organization that “educates parents worldwide on the facts about today’s widespread practice of labeling children mentally ill and drugging them with heavy, mind-altering, psychiatric drugs,” says over 10 million children in the US are prescribed addictive stimulants, antidepressants and other psychotropic (mind-altering) drugs for alleged educational and behavioral problems (3).
In fact, according to Foundation for a Drug-Free World, every day, 2,500 youth (12 to 17) will abuse a prescription pain reliever for the first time (4). Even more frightening, prescription medications like depressants, opioids and antidepressants cause more overdose deaths (45 percent) than illicit drugs like cocaine, heroin, methamphetamines and amphetamines (39 percent) combined. Worldwide, prescription drugs are the 4th leading cause of death.
A Medical Problem
The medical community trains us to believe that prescription medicines are not only necessary but safe.
Your doctor will likely tell you that although they have side effects, the benefits of these toxic medications far outweigh any negative repercussions.