Almost half the population in England is taking prescription medication, with more than a fifth on at least three separate drugs at the same time, statistics revealed yesterday.
Women took more medicines than men, even excluding contraceptives, with 50 per cent of women and 43 per cent of men taking at least one prescribed medicine in the past week.
The figures, published in the Health Survey for England, found prescription drug use rose with age, with 70 per cent of those aged 75 or over taking at least three prescribed medicines.
Experts said that the level of medication in society was “worrying” and showed a failure to tackle preventable diseases. They also expressed concern over the extent of multiple drug use, as the potential