High Cost of Prescription Drugs

High Cost of Prescription Drugs Americans use several prescription drugs every year. An average senior citizen gets more than 20 prescriptions filled each year and most senior citizens take 5 different drugs. There is around 100,000 people die each year from drugs side effects and interactions. Prescription drugs can be very costly. A prescription that is under patent protection can average to around $49 a month. And for a senior citizen that takes 5 different drugs a month and can add up to around $250 a month or ,000 a year.

Drugs that are not under patent can average about $15 to $20 each prescription. Every prescription has side effects; some side effects can even lead to death. Around a million people enter a hospital per year with drug interactions and side effects. Americans that have prescription drug coverage tend to buy all medications doctors give them without thinking about what the prescription costs. Americans that have low income and no prescription coverage tend to have to make choices between medications and food.

They don’t always take full dosages and don’t fill all their medicines.

When medications for illness are not taken properly it lends to more serious problems for the lower income Americans. Congress has written a Prescription Drug Legislation that will help seniors pay for their medications but this entitlement has limits that take the choice away from Americans. This can force unnecessary side effects, and make the whole entitlement more costly in the end. Some ways to decrease the cost of prescriptions is use other forms of treatments instead of medications such as chiropractors, acupuncturists.

These doctors have a stronger understanding of chemistry of treatments. If medical practitioners were better-educated on medications this would decrease the cost of medications for the whole United States [ (Nan Andrews Amish, 2005) ]. Nan Andrews Amish, M. C. (2005). RX Paradox: Healing the High Cost of Prescription Drugs. Retrieved November 5, 2011, from Big Picture Healthcare Articles: http://www. bigpicturehealthcare. com/HealthcareArticles/HighCostOfPrescriptions. html