With almost half the U.S. population taking drugs, it may be surprising that this figure is a slight improvement from 10 years prior. ``Changing trends in prescription drug use over time may be 

The types of prescription drugs Americans use vary by age group. Medicine used to treat asthma was most common among the youngest cohort. For adolescents, between 12 to 19 years old, stimulants to treat attention deficit disorder were most common with about one in 16 adolescents with a prescription. Both young and middle-aged adults used antidepressants the most frequently in the past 30 days. On

Drug Type by Age Age group (0-11 years) Penicillin (infections) 2.7% CNS stimulants (attention deficit disorder) 3.5% Bronchodilators (asthma) 4.3% Age group (12–19 years) Oral contraceptives (birth control, regulate menstruation) 3.7% Bronchodilators (asthma) 3.7% CNS stimulants (attention deficit disorder) 6.2% Age group (20–59 years) Lipid-lowering drugs (high cholesterol) 7.5% Analgesics (pain