How nearly half of adults in the UK are 'pill poppers'

A comprehensive health survey for England revealed that half of women and 43% of men in England are regularly taking prescription drugs.

16:13 10 December 2014

A comprehensive health survey has revealed that nearly half of adults in the United Kingdom are ‘pill poppers’.

The research found that half of women and 43per cent of men in the country regularly take prescription drugs such as cholesterol-lowering statins, pain relief, and anti-depressants.

The survey also revealed that there was an average of 18.7 prescriptions per person in 2013. This costs the NHS about £15billion a year.

Dr Jennifer Mindell, one of the report's authors at University College London, said: "This is the first nationally-representative study to report on the use of prescribed medicines taken by people in the community, not just those within the healthcare system.

"That half of men over 65 are taking cholesterol-lowering medicines reflects the high risk of cardiovascular disease in this group.

"Stopping smoking, being a healthy weight, eating more vegetables and fruit, and being physically active reduce people's risk of these diseases, for people who want to avoid taking medicines."

Dr Sarah Jackson, at University College London, commented: "It's well known that rates of depression are much higher among women than men, so I am not surprised to see that antidepressant use follows the same pattern in this study.

"People with depression are less likely to be in regular employment, and people who are unemployed or in low paid jobs are more likely to have depression."