Medication over-prescribing rightly continues to be an issue attracting international scrutiny. A recent “selective review” has addressed the issue with a focus upon four of the ten most prescribed agents provided for adults in the USA. The four selected medication categories and their most
common indication that were selected for attention were opioids for chronic pain, proton pump inhibitors for indigestion, thyroxine for sub-clinical hypothyroidism, and antidepressants for sub-syndromal levels of depression. The review, which can be viewed here, points to increasing use of these drugs, often for extended periods and without good evidence to support usage. Although perhaps not startling, the discussion does make some useful points that can be used in advocating for deprescribing.
