Residents of Tennessee use more prescription drugs than any other state in the nation – an average of 17.3 prescriptions for every man, woman and child, according to a report published on the Web site of the newspaper The Tennessean.The state’s prescription drug spending topped $7 billion in 2005, the article said, citing figures from a report compiled by BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee,Tennessee is well above the national average of 11.3 prescriptions per person, according to the BlueCross report. The most commonly prescribed drug in Tennesee is hydrocodone, a narcotic that accounts for 2.8% of all the prescriptions in the state, the BlueCross study found. Rounding out the top 10 prescriptions in Tennessee were:*Lipitor for high cholesterol. *Nexium for heartburn.*Alprazolam for anxiety. *Levothyrxine, for thyroid problems.*Lisinopril for blood pressure regulation.*Zyrtec allergy pills.*The diuretic hydrochlorothiazide.*Azithromycin, an antibiotic. *Metformin HCL, a treatment for diabetes.
Tennessee tops in nation for Rx drug use
Residents of Tennessee use more prescription drugs than any other state in the nation – an average of 17.3 prescriptions for every man, woman and child, according to a report published on the Web site of the newspaper The Tennessean.
