Be MedWise Tennessee
UT Extension, Be MedWise Promoting Wise Use of Over-the-Counter Medicines  

Know the Tennessee Facts

(The following facts are according to December 2002 findings of the comptroller for the state of Tennessee, based on the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Novartis Pharmacy Benefit Report.)

    * Annual Rx drug costs per person in Tennessee
     
    • 1980: $63.00
    • 2001: ~$800.00
    * Tennesseans on average use between 15.3 and 17.8 prescriptions per person per year.
    * Tennessee has the highest prescription drug use per capita of any state in the county.
     
    • 52% higher than the national average
    • 100% higher than California
    * People tend to use more drugs as they age, with 51% of those between the ages of 65 and 74 using 2 or more Rx drugs per month vs. 21% for the nation as a whole.
    * People with less formal education on average use more Rx drugs and have lower life expectancies.
    * Tennessee has the highest rate of amoxicillin and calcium channel blocker use in the nation.
    * 38.3% of Streptococcus pneumoniae in Tennessee were resistant to amoxicillin, the highest rate of resistance in the nation.
     
    • "This likely indicates Tennessee physicians have over-prescribed antibiotics in past years."
    * The diversion and abuse of pharmaceuticals, especially OxyContin®, represents a significant threat in Tennessee.
    * Tennessee citizens use more painkillers than the rest of the nation.

 
Be Med Wise Tennessee