Q: Is it true that the most pre-scribed drugs in North America are for psychiatric conditions?
A: That is not quite correct, although they do feature in the list of top sales in North America. There has been a lot of talk about doctors overprescribing anti-psychotic medications to the elderly in long-term care to keep the patients quiet and compliant, but this situation is hopefully beginning to improve.
Anti-depressant drugs are also often freely prescribed by family doctors. Rather than spending time talking to the depressed person, it is quicker to prescribe a pill that may not be needed.
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There has been little change in the order of the most prescribed drugs in the last five years and there is little difference between those given in Canada and the United States.
There may be slight differences in the trade names. The thyroid drug Synthroid is the one that is the most often prescribed. This drug is used to treat an underactive thyroid gland, a condition known as hypothyroidism.
The second most common prescription is the cholesterol lowering medication Crestor, a statin drug. I am surprised that a blood pressure drug is not in the Top 10.
- Synthroid (levothyroxine), 21.5 million
- Crestor (rosuvastatin), 21.4 million
- Ventolin (albuterol), an inhaler to help with breathing difficulties, 18.2 million
- Nexium, Prilosec (esomeprazole), used for treating heartburn, 15.2 million
- Advair Diskus (fluticasone), inhaler for breathing, 13.7 million
- Lantus Solostar (insulin glargine), 10.9 million
- Vyvance (lisdexamfetamine), used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, 10.4 million
- Lyrica (pregabalin), an oral contraceptive, 10.0 million
- Spiriva Handihaler (tiotropium), inhaler, 9.6 million
- Januvia (sitagliptin), used to control blood sugar levels in late onset or Type 2 diabetes, 9.1 million
The drug with the highest sales figures in the U.S is Humira, an immune-suppressant also known as adalimumab used to treat conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn’s disease.
Synthroid is the most prescribed but doesn’t top the sales list be-cause it is a relatively inexpensive.
