You have a headache. Will you drink water and lie down to rest?.

Or will you go to the locker with the pills?.

For most modern people, the answer is obvious, as reported by the Internet publication for girls and women from 14 to 35 years old Pannochka. net With the accelerating rhythm of life we ??have become so busy that we can not afford to rest and are looking for a quick solution to any health problem. So did the modern man become too dependent on drugs? And if so, is it good or bad?.

A survey conducted in the United States in 2010 by the Henry J Kaiser Family Foundation found that between 1999 and 2009, the number of prescriptions in the US increased by 39%, from 2.8 billion to 3.8 billion a year.

Another survey, conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2014, found that 48% of Americans had used at least one prescription drug in the last 30 days before the survey. This is 5% more than it was in 1999-2000. About 31% of respondents took 2 or more drugs. In 1999-2000, this figure barely reached 25%.

When it comes to over-the-counter drugs (OTC), the situation is no better. In 2012, researchers from the Consumer Healthcare Products Association found that 81% of US adults use drugs even with minimal health problems.

In the post-Soviet space, such statistics, unfortunately, can not be found. But it is easy to guess that for two decades after the collapse of the Soviet Union, our compatriots managed to fall in love very much with tablets that appeared in abundance. Indirect evidence of this and the number of pharmacies per 1000 population, and indicators of the dynamics of the pharmaceutical market.

All these figures tell us that modern people have become much more dependent on medications than ever before. In some countries this is more noticeable, in others it is less. But what's the matter? What led to this situation?.

It's easier to drink medicine than to change your lifestyle.

Cardiovascular disease is responsible for more than 600 thousand deaths in the US every year. This is the No. 1 cause of death in the States. It is therefore not surprising that the lion's share of the pharmaceutical market in this country belongs to drugs that act on the cardiovascular system. A special place in this list belongs to statins - preparations for lowering cholesterol, which today are prescribed 6 times more often than in the early 90's.

Nevertheless, all physicians and almost all patients are well aware that there are many lifestyle factors that can prevent many cardiovascular diseases. If, for example, to switch to a healthy diet, give up cigarettes and alcohol, increase physical activity, then you can reduce the risk by several times. And not a single dollar for pills!.

For example, a 2013 study published in the British Medical Journal found that physical exercises for primary prevention of stroke and diabetes are more effective than drugs and are equally effective when it comes to secondary prevention of cardiovascular events. So why do people prefer to use medicines?.

"I think it's easier for patients to swallow pills than to make efforts to change their way of life, exercise and lose weight. These are things that are difficult to do, "says Dr. Ravi Hira, a cardiologist at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

Although it is easier to take pills than to exercise in the morning, the medication is associated with a mass of risks.

Addiction and overdose.

Painkillers from the opioid group are the most commonly prescribed analgesics in the US. Long-term use of these drugs is associated with serious dangers. The problem of opioids in the States arose long ago. Many know the character of the cult series with a cane swallowing Vicodin like candy. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) states that in 2012, about 2.1 million Americans abused prescription opioids.

"Opioids can cause a sense of well-being and pleasure due to the impact on the brain zones that are associated with reward. People who take prescription opioids can look for ways to intensify their sensations, so they start taking more and more pills, "write NIDA experts.

In 2013, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reported that in the United States only in 2009, as a result of an opioid overdose, 15.5 thousand patients died. This is almost 300% more than 20 years ago.

Researchers argue that only in the period from 1999 to 2007 in the United States, the number of deaths due to unintentional opioid overdose increased by 124%. They attribute this to "a significant increase in the frequency of prescribing opioids by physicians".

Resistance to antibiotics.

The unnecessary use of antibiotics, which could be avoided, is the second serious problem. Today, antibiotics in the United States are one of the most frequently prescribed groups of drugs. It is irrational treatment with antibiotics that is considered the main reason for the formation of antibiotic resistance - the resistance of bacteria. Gradually, the bacteria mutate and become a deadly threat to the patients themselves, especially with a weakened immune system.

A 2013 study, reported in the MNT, showed that the percentage of cases of unjustified prescription of antibiotics for the treatment of pharyngitis and bronchitis in the United States is very high. If you follow the standards, the frequency of antibiotics for pharyngitis and bronchitis should be about 0% and 10%, respectively, but in fact, these figures were 60% and 73%.

In the United States, according to rough estimates, 2 million people are infected each year with antibiotic-resistant infections, and more than 23,000 of them die. In 2014, Dr. Steve Solomon, director of the department for antibiotic resistance of the CCH, stated: "Over the past 70 years, bacteria have shown us the ability to resist almost all the antibiotics that we develop. And the more antibiotics are used, the faster the development of bacteria ".

"The use of antibiotics at any time and under any circumstances results in biological pressure on bacteria that can result in the emergence of resistant strains. When antibiotics are really needed for the treatment or prevention of a disease, they should always be used. But studies show that in 50% of cases, antibiotics are prescribed unnecessarily or are applied improperly (for example, not in that dose). Such use of antibiotics without need only stimulates antibiotic resistance, "the official of the Central Clinical Hospital.

Side effects of prolonged or untreated treatment.

As stated earlier, more than 30% of US residents use 2 or more prescription drugs. Further - worse. More than 10% of Americans in the survey admitted that over the past 30 days, 5 or more drugs were used. Many people at the same time go to the pharmacy, buy non-prescription drugs and use them in parallel with the drugs that the doctor appointed.

Does everyone think about the harm of such a cocktail? Hardly.

In an interview with CNN in 2011, Professor Michael Wincor, a teacher of clinical pharmacology, psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of South Carolina, spoke of polypharmacy - the use of multiple drugs at the same time. He drew attention to the fact that such treatment can be dangerous for the patient.

"The patient may experience side effects, and he may think that his illness has worsened, and will take even larger doses of the medicine. Although in fact it is the result of mixing several drugs. If you have to take 20 drugs, it's time to think about it and ask the doctor if it's necessary, "said the professor..

But it is not necessary to take several drugs to suffer from side effects. Dr. Gere in an interview with MNT says: "All drugs have their side effects. When you correctly assign them to a specific patient, the benefit of taking them should outweigh the risk. But if the medicine is misused, then the benefits of taking them can be reduced, and the risk is to increase disproportionately. Thus, the balance can shift to the side of harm ".

Long-term use of medication can also cause problems. For example, acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin) and the majority of representatives of the NSAID group with prolonged admission may lead to peptic ulcer disease. In January 2013, an interesting study was published, the authors of which concluded that regular intake of aspirin is associated with age-related macular degeneration. Other studies have linked aspirin with hearing loss and extracranial bleeding.

Currently, the FDA advises not using aspirin for primary prevention of stroke or heart attack, and Dr. Gira says that more than 10% of American patients misconstrue aspirin for prophylaxis.

"Aspirin reduces the risk of major coronary events by 18%, but instead, the risk of extracranial bleeding increases by 54%. Every 2 aspirin-prevented coronary events cost the community 1 extra large extracranial bleeding. And at the same time, primary prevention with aspirin remains widespread, "says Dr. Freek Verheugt, a member of the University Medical Center Nijmegen in the Netherlands.

Do doctors prescribe medications too often?.

The statistics mentioned above show that today in the US prescriptions are written out as often as never before. Over the past 20 years, the United States spending on prescription drugs has risen by as much as $ 200 billion.

Of course, the aging of the population plays an important role in this process. We began to live longer, so the number of people with chronic age-related diseases increased, which requires much more drugs. But the reason is not only this.

Some health professionals believe that doctors may prescribe too many medicines.

"We are concerned that doctors today can prescribe medication without an obvious need. Part of this is due to the fact that they do not have enough time to sit with their patient, go deeper into the specific problem and discuss other options for treatment, "Celia Grandison-Marly writes in The Telegraph in 2011 ), a representative of the UK Patients Association.

In an interview with MNT, Dr. James Lessenger, a specialist in labor medicine from California, expressed complete agreement with this opinion. He believes that the implementation of new treatment strategies and the introduction of evidence-based medicine should stop this process.

"In addition, electronic patient cards help reduce the number of unnecessary appointments. Insurance companies and pharmacies do a great job, preventing duplicate appointments from different doctors and superfluous recipes. Digital technology only contributes to this, "- says Dr. Lessendzher.

Advertising drugs affect doctors and patients.

Many health professionals, including Dr. Lessanger, are confident that pharmaceutical companies play a key role in the fact that modern people are increasingly turning to tablets.

Since 1985, America has been allowed to advertise medicines to end users (patients), and until this time all advertising was targeted only at doctors. Ken Johnson, vice president of Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), in the WHO bulletin, defended this position, arguing that advertising helps inform consumers about available treatment options.

But not everyone agrees with this argument. Dr. Dee Mangin, lecturer at the School of Medicine of the Christian Church (New Zealand), says: "The truth is that consumer-directed advertising is more likely to direct the choice rather than inform it. Most often, consumer choice is inclined towards the most expensive brands ".

Such advertising leads to the fact that patients try to influence the decisions of doctors. In the era of joint medical decisions, this often results in the fact that the doctor simply does what the patient wants. Advertising tells the patient about the many positive aspects of the medication being sold, but does not put in his head the program of a medical college and many years of medical practice, however doctors often go on about.

Officially, the FDA states that the end-user advertising of medicines "can bring useful information," but the agency draws attention to the fact that "the best source of information about a medicine that is suitable for you is the doctor".

How can you avoid unnecessary treatment?.

Although we may well avoid taking medication with minor health problems, many of us suffer from more serious illnesses, in which medical treatment is really necessary. How to draw this border?.

Dr. Lessanger believes that patients should first of all learn about their disease as much as possible in order to have a good (as far as possible) representation of the role of a drug in its treatment. Of course, no source of information should replace the reference to a doctor or, if you think it is necessary, then to several doctors.

medbe. en.