Nearly two-thirds of U.S. adults took medication in the past seven days

Walk into almost any American household and you will find medication. A study published in JAMA Network Open puts a specific number on how routine this is: nearly two-thirds of U.S. adults - roughly 2 in 3 - reported using at least one medication in the seven days before being surveyed. The study, which drew on data from 2023 and 2024, found that prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) drug use occurred at nearly the same rate, a finding that highlights both the scale of pharmaceutical reliance in the United States and the importance of maintaining accessible pathways to both categories of treatment.

The research, led by Jody L. Green, PhD, of Uprise Health and published in JAMA Network Open, was based on nationally representative survey data. By tracking past-seven-day use rather than longer recall periods, the study design captured habitual medication behavior while reducing memory errors that affect longer recall windows.

What the parity of prescription and OTC use reveals

The near-equal prevalence of prescription and over-the-counter medication use reflects how extensively the U.S. healthcare system relies on both channels for managing common health conditions. Prescription drugs require a clinician's oversight and insurance navigation; OTC drugs are purchased directly by consumers, often without clinical guidance. The fact that both are used at comparable rates suggests that Americans are actively managing their own health between clinical encounters - and that a significant portion of the medication burden rests outside the formal healthcare system.

This has implications for health policy in several areas. OTC access can be reduced by cost, product availability, or consumer knowledge gaps. Prescription access can be constrained by insurance coverage, prior authorization requirements, or difficulty obtaining appointments. When either channel becomes harder to navigate, real health consequences follow for the large fraction of adults who depend on these medications for chronic disease management, pain relief, or mental health.

Context and limitations

The study captures self-reported medication use, which means it depends on participants accurately recalling and disclosing what they took. Some categories of medication may be underreported due to stigma - mental health drugs, for example, may be underrepresented in self-report data. Conversely, supplements or herbal remedies may be excluded or inconsistently categorized by different respondents.

The data reflect a snapshot of 2023-2024 and cannot account for shifts in medication access driven by subsequent regulatory changes, insurance market changes, or new drug approvals. The nationally representative design does, however, provide a strong baseline for tracking how prescription and OTC use patterns evolve over time.

Why accessibility is the central concern

The study's authors emphasize that the high and roughly equal prevalence of prescription and OTC use demonstrates "the reliance on these therapies and highlights the importance of accessibility." For chronic conditions like diabetes and hypertension - which require consistent medication management - disruption to either channel can have direct clinical consequences. Any policy change affecting drug pricing, OTC reclassification, or insurance coverage should be evaluated against the backdrop of just how embedded routine medication use is in American daily life.