Pills
Pills are thought to date back to around 1500 BC.[1] Earlier medical recipes, such as those from 4000 BC, were for liquid preparations rather than solids.[1] The first references to pills were found on papyruses in ancient Egypt and contained bread dough, honey, or grease. Medicinal ingredients, such as plant powders or spices, were mixed in and formed by hand to make little balls, or pills. (Wiki)
It’s estimated that about 66% of the U.S. population takes one or more prescription drugs. Every year in the U.S., more than 4 billion prescriptions are dispensed. Data suggests that among those who take prescription medications, the average number of medications taken is four. More than 131 million Americans take at least one prescription medication.
Beyond prescription pills, there’s over the counter pills, some common, like aspirin, and some giving hope for solving some problem, real or imagined.
Viagra gives hope for many. In an odd twist, so do abortion pills. Medication Abortion Accounted for 63% of All US Abortions in 2023. This equates to about 642,700 procedures, up from 53 percent in 2020.
I write about pills because of an article from today’s N Y Times:
Most people, study after study shows, don’t take the medicines prescribed for them. It doesn’t matter what they are — statins, high blood pressure drugs, drugs to lower blood sugar, asthma drugs. Either patients never start taking them, or they stop.
It’s a problem that doctors call nonadherence — the common human tendency to resist medical treatment — and it leads to countless deaths and billions of dollars of preventable medical costs each year.
This surprised me, since I religiously take my statin (50+years) and various recommended vitamins. Flomax is essential and I would know if I missed a dose. Does this article surprise you? Are you on a prescribed pill regimen? Any recommendations for pills that will solve problems, enhance life, or help you sleep?