PedMed: Drug numbers keep rising

http://www.upi.com/Consumer_Health_D...p_rising/4154/

PedMed: Drug numbers keep rising

Numerous studies document the favoritism shown pharmaceuticals over
non-chemical solutions. In many instances, medicines are the optimal option,
but some worry parents, patients and practitioners are over-relying on drugs
in certain cases at the cost of safer, less expensive and more effective
alternatives.

What no one questions is the growing popularity of drug treatments.

In a survey of families with children with special healthcare needs, for
example, an overwhelming 74.3 percent reported resorting to prescription
medication, compared with only 28.7 percent that listed
emotional/behavioral/developmental services and a mere 17.4 percent that
cited specialized therapies.

Or take the findings of a 2005 government report on health trends in
America.

The 550-page report bulges with evidence of the heavy dependence on drug
treatments of the under-18 set. Among some notable statistics gathered for
the years 2002 to 2003, the study reveals:

-- 177.9 "doctor visits with at least one drug" per 100 population, meaning
for every infant, toddler and adolescent, there were nearly two meetings
with a physician during which a pharmaceutical -- prescription or not -- was
ordered, continued, administered or otherwise provided.

-- 334.8 drugs per 100 population, which translates to a typical youngster
taking an average of more than three medicines.

The most popular of these, in descending order, included:

-- penicillins for bacterial infections;

-- antiasthmatics/bronchodilators for asthma and breathing problems;

-- antihistamines for allergies;

-- erythromycins/lincosamides for infections;

-- NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) for pain relief;

-- cephalosporins for bacterial infections;

-- non-narcotic analgesics for pain;

-- antitussives/expectorants for cough, cold, and congestion;

-- nasal corticosteroid inhalants for asthma, allergies, and breathing
difficulties;

-- anorexiants/CNS stimulants for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder;

-- nasal decongestants for congestion, and

-- antidepressants for depression and related disorders.

The investigators also noted nearly a quarter of all children had used at
least one prescription drug in the previous month. That figures out to close
to 18 million tots and teens.

In 2003, more than 9 million U.S. children were routinely taking a
prescribed medication for at least three months, researchers from the
National Center for Health Statistics in Hyattsville, Md., calculated.

These included 1.5 million newborns to 4-year-olds, or 7.5 percent of that
demographic; 3.6 million children 5 to 11, or 12.6 percent, and 4.2 million
teens 12 to 17, or 17.1 percent.

These rates stayed fairly fixed through 2004, according to a report
published in Vital Health Statistics in February 2006.

Where market analysts have noted a seismic shift is in an "unparalleled"
jump in the number of adolescent girls using prescription drugs to treat
diabetes, sleep disturbances and such psychological problems as ADHD.

From 2001 to 2006, the rates for girls climbed a steep 167 percent, compared
to a scant 33 percent for boys, in the use of medicines for type 2 diabetes;
117 percent, versus 71 percent, in the use of antipsychotics; 80 percent,
versus 64 percent, in the use of sleep aids, and 74 percent, versus 37
percent, in the use of ADHD medications, according to the just-released 2007
Drug Trend Report.

The analysis by pharmacy benefit manager Medco Health Solutions, Inc. --
which looked at prescription drug claims of some 370,000 children and
adolescents ages 10 to 19 -- also found:

-- Currently, three-and-a-half times as many girls as boys take drugs for
type 2 diabetes;

-- In 2006, 46 percent more girls than boys were prescribed sleep medicines.

"This analysis raises concerns and questions about the health of adolescents
in America, and particularly girls," Dr. Robert Epstein, Medco's chief
medical officer, said in a statement that accompanied the report.

"While this may be evidence that more girls are for the first time being
appropriately diagnosed and treated, it also raises red flags about the
physical and psychological problems afflicting this population."

--

Note: This column is based on dozens of reports, conferences and more than
200 interviews with specialists in children's health issues. Wasowicz is the
author of the new book, "Suffer the Child: How the Healthcare System Is
Failing Our Future," published by Capital Books.