The 25 Most Popular Drugs in America
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Cheap generics and Vicodin dominated the list of America’s most popular prescription drugs in 2010, according to the annual IMS Health survey of drug sales. IMS, a healthcare consulting firm, documented Vicodin’s status as Number One in a report released today. “The most popular drug, as in previous years, is the combination of hydrocodone and acetaminophen — better known by its old brand name, Vicodin,” writes Matthew Herper in Forbes. “As I wrote last year, Vicodin’s popularity has been constant, even when a panel of advisors to the Food and Drug Administration recommended it should be pulled from the market because of the danger acetaminophen overdose poses to the liver. The FDA has responded to the concerns by asking manufacturers to limit the amount of acetaminophen in these products.”
Here’s the medicinal Hit Parade (drugs in bold are considered addictive).
1 hydrocodone/acetaminophen (Vicodin) pain
2 simvastatin (Zocor) high cholesterol
3 lisinopril high blood pressure
4 levothyroxine sodium (Synthroid) hypothyroid
5 amlodipine besylate (Norvasc) high blood pressure.
6 omeprazole (Prilosec) acid reflux
7 azithromycin (Zithromax) antibiotic
8 amoxicillin antibiotic
9 metformin HCL (Glucophage) diabetes
10 hydrochlorothiazide high blood pressure
11 alprazolam (Xanax) anxiety
12 Lipitor (atorvastatin) high cholesterol
13 furosemide high blood pressure
14 metoprolol tartrate (Toprol) high blood pressure
15 zolpidem tartrate (Ambien) insomnia
16 atenolol high blood pressure
17 sertraline HCL (Zoloft) depression
18 metoprolol succinate (Toprol) blood pressure
19 citalopram (Celexa) depression
20 warfarin sodium (Coumadin) blood thinner
21 oxycodone/acetaminophen pain
22 ibuprofen pain
23 Plavix (clopidogrel) heart disease
24 gabapentin (Neurontin)
25 Singulair (montelukast) allergies
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Dirk Hanson, MA, is a freelance science writer and the author of The Chemical Carousel: What Science Tells Us About Beating Addiction. He is also the author of The New Alchemists: Silicon Valley and the Microelectronics Revolution. He has worked as a business and science reporter for numerous magazines and trade publications including Wired, Scientific American, The Dana Foundation and more. He currently edits the Addiction Inbox blog. Email: [email protected]
