These are the top 25
psychiatric medications by number of U.S. prescriptions
dispensed in 2013, according to IMS Health, a global information and
technology services company. I’ve also provided their 2011, 2009, and 2005 rankings.
To put the percent changes
below into perspective, the U.S. total population rose approximately 1.5
percent from 2011 to 2013. That suggests that anything above a 1.5 percent
change was driven by other factors — more people seeking treatment, more
awareness and acceptance of seeking treatment for a mental illness, more
pharmaceutical advertising and marketing, or some other factor.
The biggest gains were once
again in anti-depressant medications and stimulant medications for
attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The most popular drugs continue to be antidepressants, like Zoloft and Prozac, and anti-anxiety medications like Xanax and Ativan.
ADHD drug prescriptions are
slowing down from the peak they hit in 2011. For instance, Vyvanse went from a
50 percent rise in 2011 to only a 19 percent rise in prescriptions in 2013.
Amphetamine salts also saw a similar loss of momentum, suggesting that
prescription rates are finally slowing down for these kinds of drugs.
2013
Rank |
2011
Rank |
2009
Rank |
2005
Rank |
Brand name
(generic name) |
Used for…
|
U.S. Prescriptions
(% change from 2011)
|
1.
|
1.
|
1.
|
1.
|
Xanax
(alprazolam) |
48,465,000
(1%) |
|
2.
|
3.
|
4.
|
2.
|
Zoloft
(sertraline) |
41,416,000
(11%) |
|
3.
|
2.
|
17.
|
11.
|
Celexa
(citalopram) |
39,445,000
(5%) |
|
4.
|
5.
|
5.
|
4.
|
Prozac
(fluoxetine HCL) |
28,258,000
(15%) |
|
5.
|
4.
|
3.
|
5.
|
Ativan
(lorazepam) |
27,948,000
(3%) |
|
6.
|
7.
|
6.
|
NA
|
Desyrel
(trazodone HCL) |
26,242,000
(17%) |
|
7.
|
6.
|
2.
|
3.
|
Lexapro (escitalopram) |
24,920,000
(5%) |
|
8.
|
8.
|
7.
|
16.
|
Cymbalta
(duloxetine) |
18,573,000
(5%) |
|
9.
|
13.
|
22.
|
10.
|
Wellbutrin XL
(bupropion HCL XL) |
16,053,000
(30%) |
|
10.
|
12.
|
9.
|
6.
|
Effexor ER
(venlafaxine HCL ER) |
15,796,000
(26%) |
|
11.
|
9.
|
10.
|
9.
|
Valium
(diazepam) |
14,754,000
(1%) |
|
12.
|
11.
|
11.
|
10.
|
Paxil
(paroxetine HCL) |
14,335,000
(3%) |
|
13.
|
10.
|
8.
|
13.
|
Seroquel
(quetiapine) |
14,326,000
(–) |
|
14.
|
15.
|
11.
|
NA
|
Amphetamine
salts
(Generic) |
12,785,000
(29%) |
|
15.
|
14.
|
12.
|
14.
|
Risperdal
(risperidone) |
12,320,000
(1%) |
|
16.
|
17.
|
19.
|
NA
|
Vyvanse
(lisdexamfetamine) |
9,842,000
(19%) |
|
17.
|
23.
|
16.
|
NA
|
Concerta
ER
(methylphenidate ER) |
8,803,000
(–) |
|
18.
|
16.
|
15.
|
NA
|
Abilify
(aripiprazole) |
8,747,000
(–) |
|
19.
|
18.
|
NA
|
NA
|
Wellbutrin SR-W
(bupropion HCL SR W) |
8,238,000
(–) |
|
20.
|
21.
|
18.
|
19.
|
Buspar
(buspirone HCL) |
8,065,000
(26%) |
|
21.
|
19.
|
13.
|
NA
|
Anxiety,
tension
|
8,052,000
(11%) |
|
22.
|
20.
|
NA
|
NA
|
Amphetamine
salts ER
(Generic) |
7,925,000
(21%) |
|
23.
|
22.
|
20.
|
17.
|
Zyprexa
(olanzapine) |
5,101,000
(12%) |
|
24.
|
24.
|
NA
|
NA
|
Methylphenidate
(generic) |
5,335,000
(26%) |
|
25.
|
25.
|
25.
|
NA
|
Pristiq
(desvenlafaxine) |
3,217,000
(-21%) |
Notes:
If no percentage change is
listed, we did not track it in previous years or the percentage was flat. Drugs
often slightly alter their formulation over the years and are then re-released
as a new version of an existing drug; we generally don’t note the change.
NA – Rank not available for
this year.
* – This is not a psychiatric
medication, but is often prescribed for a mental health issue.
How This Data is Derived
Information in the National
Prescription Audit (NPA) is derived from IMS Health’s Xponent service, one of
the most complete, national-level prescription databases in the U.S. Xponent
captures roughly 70% Market Share of all prescriptions in the U.S. IMS then
uses a patented projection methodology from a stratified and geographically
balanced sample to represent 100% Market Share coverage of U.S. prescription
activity at retail, mail service, long-term care, and managed care outlets.