The Most Prescribed Drugs in the U.S.
Every day, millions of people in the U.S. take prescribed drugs to help them live their lives.
As our understanding of medicine has evolved, we’ve been able to develop drugs to aid with some of the most common medical conditions—from pain and blood pressure drugs to asthma medication, thyroid treatments, and antidepressants.
What are the Most Prescribed Drugs in America?
Sorting the annual prescribed medicines data by the total number of patients highlights how important and prevalent some drugs are in America.
The most prescribed drug, atorvastatin (sold under brand Lipitor), was prescribed to 24.5 million people in the U.S. in 2019, or 7.5% of the population. It was one of many statin medications listed, which are used to prevent cardiovascular disease and treat abnormal lipid levels.
In fact, a majority of the most prescribed drugs in the U.S. are used to treat high blood pressure or symptoms of it. That’s because 108 million or nearly half of adults in the U.S. have hypertension or high blood pressure.
Other common prescriptions include antibiotics like amoxicillin and azithromycin, used to treat bacterial infections, as well as levothyroxine, which was used by 19.7 million Americans to treat thyroid hormone deficiency.
Asthma medication albuterol (usually prescribed through an inhaler) rounded out the top five prescribed drugs with the most patients, followed closely by Type 2 diabetes medication glucophage.
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Dataset
Drug Name | Total U.S. Patients (2019) | Brand Name | Primary Use |
---|---|---|---|
Atorvastatin | 24,493,971 | Lipitor | Cholesterol |
Amoxicillin | 20,368,921 | Amoxil, Trimox | Antibiotic |
Lisinopril | 19,990,170 | Prinivil, Zestril | Blood Pressure |
Levothyroxine | 19,698,087 | Synthroid, Levoxyl | Thyroid |
Albuterol | 19,085,418 | Ventolin, Proventil | Breathing |
Metformin | 17,430,765 | Glucophage, Fortamet | Diabetes |
Amlodipine | 16,419,181 | Norvasc | Blood Pressure |
Metoprolol | 15,177,787 | Lopressor, Toprol XL | Blood Pressure |
Omeprazole | 12,869,290 | Losec, Prilosec | Stomach Acid |
Losartan | 11,760,646 | Cozaar | Blood Pressure |
Azithromycin | 11,577,286 | Zithromax, Azithrocin | Antibiotic |
Prednisone | 10,999,246 | Deltasone, Orasone | Inflammation |
Ibuprofen | 10,951,995 | Advil, Motrin | Pain |
Hydrocodone/Acetaminophen | 10,409,764 | Vicodin/Norco | Pain (Opioid) |
Gabapentin | 9,818,634 | Neurontin | Seizures |
Fluticasone | 9,564,147 | Flovent, Flonase | Breathing |
Hydrochlorothiazide | 9,358,879 | Apo-Hydro, Microzide | Diuretic |
Simvastatin | 8,543,612 | Zocor | Cholesterol |
Sertraline | 7,723,122 | Zoloft, Lustral | Antidepressant |
Montelukast | 7,429,725 | Singulair | Breathing |
Pantoprazole | 6,777,996 | Protonix | Stomach Acid |
Furosemide | 6,640,042 | Lasix, Frusemide | Diuretic |
Meloxicam | 6,484,210 | Mobic, Metacam | Pain |
Amoxicillin | Clavulanate | 6,468,086 | Augmentin, Clavulin |
Cephalexin | 6,267,878 | Keflex, Ceporex | Antibiotic |
Rosuvastatin | 6,129,254 | Crestor, Rosulip | Cholesterol |
Escitalopram | 5,544,406 | Cipralex, Lexapro | Antidepressant |
Bupropion | 5,520,278 | Wellbutrin, Zyban | Antidepressant |
Tramadol | 5,496,843 | Ultram, Zytram | Pain (Opioid) |
Pravastatin | 5,420,488 | Pravachol, Selektine | Cholesterol |
Data sources
Note: The data source (MEPS prescribed medicines file) is released annually by the U.S. Government. This data release represents survey data from two years prior. The ClinCalc DrugStats Database sanitizes and standardizes this data, and is typically released within a few months of the MEPS release.