Prescription medication use among patients with type 2 diabetes in the United States: 1999–2020

Aims We aimed to examine trends in overall prescription medication use among patients with type 2 diabetes in the United States to provide insights for patient care. Materials and Methods We used nationally representative data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 1999 to 2020 and included adult patients with type 2 diabetes. We examined the use of prescription drugs, overall and by drug class, polypharmacy (use of ≥5 medications), and number of medications attributed to specific classes. Results In the period 2015–2020, the mean patient age was 59.6 (51.0–70.0) years, with 46.8% (43.6–49.9) being female and 57.8% (52.8–62.8) being non‐Hispanic White. Among 9489 adults with type 2 diabetes, the prevalence of polypharmacy was high and increased from 35.1% (31.6–38.6) in 1999–2002 to 47.2% (43.7–50.7) in 2003–2006, and further to 51.1% (48.3–53.9) in 2015–2020 (p for trend