4 ms·
Ridiculously high. A quick search reveals that: > After about ten years on the market, Valium had been prescribed to 59.3 million patients [0] The US populati
by flatline 7y ago
Ridiculously high. A quick search reveals that:
> After about ten years on the market, Valium had been prescribed to 59.3 million patients [0]
The US population in 1970 was about 200 million. A significant portion of the adult US population took valium at some point during the 60s/70s.
[0] https://www.valiumaddiction.com/history-of-v.htm https://www.valiumaddiction.com/history-of-v.htm
- Alex3917 7y agoInteresting. The NYT says 59.3 million prescriptions, not patients. [0] If so the number of patients would presumably be significantly lower, since it is in fact addictive. [0] https://www.nytimes.com/1976/02/01/archives/article-16-no-title-americans-are-spending-almost-half-a-billion.html https://www.nytimes.com/1976/02/01/archives/article-16-no-ti...
- flatline 7y agoInteresting that the numbers are the same, I think it’s just coincidence, they are measuring different things on different time scales. It peaked in 1978 with several billion pills being dispensed in a single year. I had a psych professor that said that 70% of US adults were on Valium at some point during the 70s. Anecdotal but I think it’s in the right ballpark.
- inferiorhuman 7y agoRidiculously high. Ridiculously high because they were touted as safer alternatives to the then popular barbiturates. Benzos are safer, it just turns out that benzos also have not-so-great long-term effects.