More people than ever are turning to prescription drugs to treat everything from heart disease to hair loss, according to the latest report on the nation's health from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Forty-four percent of Americans take at least one prescription drug, and 17% take at least three, according to analysis of data collected from 1999 to 2000. Those figures increased from 39% and 12%, respectively, in a prior data collection period ending 1994.

In 2002, health expenditures climbed 9.3% to $1.6 trillion or 14.9% of gross domestic product, up from 14.1% of GDP in 2001. Prescription drugs were the fastest growing expenditure and comprised 10% of total medical costs.

"Americans are taking medicines that lower cholesterol and reduce the threat of heart disease, that help lift people out of debilitating depressions, and that keep diabetes in check," says Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson.

Meanwhile, AARP reports costs for older Americans' medications jumped an average 7.4% in the past year, which is more than triple the 2.3% general inflation rate. Five out of six people 65 and older take at least one medication and almost half take three or more, CDC data show.