You may have already noticed this yourself as you leave your local pharmacy and check your receipt. But there are official numbers to confirm what you already know -- the cost of pain medications to treat arthritis is up -- significantly up! According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), the cost of medications used to treat arthritis aches and pains increased from $4.2 billion in 1996 to $13.2 billion in 2006. Ouch!
The report released in February 2009 states that the average annual expenditure for patients who purchased one or more prescription analgesics (including narcotic analgesics, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and COX-2 inhibitors) rose from $83 to $232. For each analgesic purchased, the average expenditure rose from $26 to $57. The total number of outpatient prescription analgesics purchased jumped from 164 million to 231 million during that time period.
Everything is more expensive -- whether you want to talk about groceries, clothes, gas -- or do I dare say entertainment? But there is an extra sting that comes with paying more for medications that are used just to dull your pain. Don't you think?
Related Resources:
- The Facts of Pain Medications
- Tylenol - 10 Things You Should Knowl
- NSAIDs - 10 Things You Need to Know
- Pain Medications - Consider Your Options Carefully
- When Are Pain Medications Appropriate for Arthritis?
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