The Top 200 of 2020

Provided by the ClinCalc DrugStats Database

The Top 200 Drugs of 2020

Rank Drug Name Total Prescriptions (2020) Total Patients (2020) Annual Change
1 Atorvastatin 114,509,814 26,640,141 0
2 Levothyroxine 98,970,640 20,225,373 0
3 Metformin 92,591,486 20,122,987  1
4 Lisinopril 88,597,017 19,816,361  1
5 Amlodipine 69,786,684 16,799,810  1
6 Metoprolol 66,413,692 15,007,908  1
7 Albuterol 61,948,347 17,902,020 0
8 Omeprazole 56,300,064 13,879,629 0
9 Losartan 54,815,411 12,690,563 0
10 Gabapentin 49,961,066 10,571,700 0
11 Hydrochlorothiazide 41,476,098 10,031,904 0
12 Sertraline 38,219,814 7,768,366 0
13 Simvastatin 36,600,871 8,557,525 0
14 Montelukast 31,984,479 7,227,021 0
15 Escitalopram 30,605,646 6,342,599  4
16 Acetaminophen; Hydrocodone 30,100,356 8,587,152  1
17 Rosuvastatin 29,750,488 7,393,686  4
18 Bupropion 28,889,368 5,801,282  4
19 Furosemide 26,786,296 6,405,654  2
20 Pantoprazole 26,604,040 6,814,036  4
21 Trazodone 26,210,731 5,294,364  4
22 Dextroamphetamine; Dextroamphetamine Saccharate; Amphetamine; Amphetamine Aspartate 26,080,151 3,633,541  2
23 Fluticasone 24,777,490 7,805,740  5
24 Tamsulosin 24,692,402 5,856,108  4
25 Fluoxetine 23,403,050 4,717,183  5
26 Carvedilol 23,159,628 4,948,170  7
27 Duloxetine 22,546,920 4,461,604  1
28 Meloxicam 19,808,581 6,057,630  3
29 Clopidogrel 19,377,527 4,340,688  7
30 Prednisone 19,044,926 9,203,354  3
31 Citalopram 18,549,176 3,683,842  1
32 Insulin Glargine 17,973,209 3,662,505  5
33 Potassium Chloride 17,811,732 4,637,643  1
34 Pravastatin 17,549,151 4,132,511  2
35 Tramadol 17,475,419 4,878,951 0
36 Aspirin 17,287,372 4,741,732  2
37 Alprazolam 16,780,805 3,632,458  4
38 Ibuprofen 16,533,209 8,896,328  9
39 Cyclobenzaprine 16,151,696 5,129,829  6
40 Amoxicillin 15,922,907 12,780,652  17
41 Methylphenidate 15,449,350 2,441,634  10
42 Allopurinol 15,303,283 3,606,249  1
43 Venlafaxine 15,022,423 2,863,619  3
44 Clonazepam 14,758,212 2,498,126  2
45 Ethinyl Estradiol; Norethindrone 14,716,809 2,955,082  3
46 Ergocalciferol 14,670,983 4,448,964  9
47 Zolpidem 14,272,253 2,592,750 0
48 Apixaban 13,918,650 3,305,979  4
49 Glipizide 13,674,142 3,383,057  5
50 Hydrochlorothiazide; Lisinopril 13,559,563 2,899,536  6
51 Spironolactone 13,354,566 3,131,156  12
52 Cetirizine 13,125,543 3,357,330  15
53 Atenolol 12,860,512 3,143,500  14
54 Oxycodone 12,289,518 4,092,089  5
55 Buspirone 11,820,023 2,562,053  21
56 Fluticasone; Salmeterol 11,577,409 2,562,481  24
57 Topiramate 11,482,269 2,124,766  11
58 Warfarin 11,467,999 2,424,821  8
59 Estradiol 11,307,655 3,131,982  1
60 Cholecalciferol 11,115,876 2,977,877  22
61 Budesonide; Formoterol 11,114,689 2,348,352  4
62 Lamotrigine 10,801,628 1,713,712  9
63 Ethinyl Estradiol; Norgestimate 10,686,537 2,556,898  7
64 Quetiapine 10,574,791 1,784,327  8
65 Lorazepam 10,559,374 2,492,279  4
66 Famotidine 10,441,964 3,383,683  38
67 Folic Acid 10,334,172 2,557,764  22
68 Azithromycin 10,155,807 7,405,927  20
69 Acetaminophen; Oxycodone 10,086,467 2,702,463  10
70 Hydroxyzine 10,058,837 2,967,009  5
71 Insulin Lispro 10,013,738 2,272,153  6
72 Diclofenac 9,926,749 3,647,127  2
73 Loratadine 9,914,365 2,695,131  7
74 Sitagliptin 9,885,657 1,937,355  14
75 Clonidine 9,867,546 1,956,023  11
76 Diltiazem 9,787,088 2,114,110  4
77 Latanoprost 9,722,630 2,650,387 0
78 Pregabalin 9,227,867 1,711,184  3
79 Doxycycline 9,152,604 5,132,350  11
80 Insulin Aspart 9,124,642 1,929,132  5
81 Amitriptyline 9,083,401 1,850,495  13
82 Paroxetine 9,029,667 1,813,642  4
83 Ondansetron 8,773,584 4,247,796  23
84 Tizanidine 8,705,644 2,269,444  8
85 Lisdexamfetamine 8,647,783 1,326,189  6
86 Rivaroxaban 8,644,837 2,090,497  5
87 Glimepiride 8,566,883 1,899,338  25
88 Propranolol 8,470,628 1,906,375  5
89 Aripiprazole 8,267,949 1,330,788  12
90 Finasteride 8,185,106 2,156,558  4
91 Naproxen 8,184,638 3,381,034  30
92 Levetiracetam 7,967,535 1,469,443  5
93 Hydrochlorothiazide; Losartan 7,948,927 2,055,422  20
94 Alendronate 7,923,120 2,010,411  2
95 Fenofibrate 7,668,856 1,672,430  8
96 Dulaglutide 7,657,320 1,506,236  38
97 Oxybutynin 7,098,461 1,782,229  15
98 Celecoxib 7,089,211 1,800,049  4
99 Lovastatin 7,033,634 1,609,729  4
100 Ezetimibe 7,029,302 1,822,350  8
101 Cephalexin 7,011,968 4,975,921  17
102 Empagliflozin 6,724,608 1,607,647  44
103 Hydralazine 6,663,220 1,649,246  4
104 Mirtazapine 6,601,131 1,160,871  2
105 Cyanocobalamin 6,596,311 1,696,951  50
106 Triamcinolone 6,422,561 3,926,352  1
107 Amoxicillin; Clavulanate 6,086,124 4,558,138  14
108 Baclofen 6,009,146 1,519,109  17
109 Valproate 6,000,123 909,451  5
110 Tiotropium 5,933,058 1,191,833  22
111 Sumatriptan 5,915,272 1,658,061  13
112 Donepezil 5,899,553 1,436,971  8
113 Methotrexate 5,824,013 1,130,078  2
114 Isosorbide 5,795,198 1,395,825  9
115 Fluticasone; Vilanterol 5,678,546 1,087,587  6
116 Ferrous Sulfate 5,652,902 1,828,969  13
117 Thyroid 5,625,456 1,197,128  1
118 Acetaminophen 5,610,163 2,717,148  27
119 Valacyclovir 5,466,726 2,410,470  9
120 Desogestrel; Ethinyl Estradiol 5,444,043 1,185,053  8
121 Sulfamethoxazole; Trimethoprim 5,425,466 3,404,743  21
122 Esomeprazole 5,204,950 1,257,544  5
123 Valsartan 5,173,072 1,328,940  31
124 Insulin Detemir 5,164,647 1,111,229  3
125 Clindamycin 5,130,999 2,709,249  6
126 Hydroxychloroquine 4,992,835 1,224,515  4
127 Methocarbamol 4,981,836 1,822,996  9
128 Diazepam 4,972,397 1,184,256  11
129 Semaglutide 4,827,483 1,126,514  107
130 Dexmethylphenidate 4,802,551 681,537  1
131 Hydrochlorothiazide; Triamterene 4,783,812 1,167,750  16
132 Ciprofloxacin 4,759,043 3,141,345  19
133 Chlorthalidone 4,707,841 1,269,577  2
134 Rizatriptan 4,667,144 955,189  38
135 Nifedipine 4,657,308 1,032,862  17
136 Insulin Degludec 4,600,262 932,573  32
137 Norethindrone 4,501,968 1,191,825  6
138 Risperidone 4,462,991 698,895  11
139 Olmesartan 4,458,453 1,163,607  25
140 Morphine 4,384,336 667,722  23
141 Benazepril 4,374,519 1,026,815  11
142 Meclizine 4,349,444 1,742,409  8
143 Timolol 4,295,412 949,166  17
144 Oxcarbazepine 4,276,699 567,473  18
145 Drospirenone; Ethinyl Estradiol 4,124,207 996,093  3
146 Liraglutide 4,063,184 957,309  4
147 Dicyclomine 4,060,734 1,125,571  18
148 Irbesartan 4,028,832 933,587  34
149 Hydrocortisone 3,998,412 2,172,726  2
150 Albuterol; Ipratropium 3,967,936 902,034  1
151 Verapamil 3,936,378 874,295  10
152 Memantine 3,928,015 815,190  17
153 Prednisolone 3,894,468 2,082,074  14
154 Metformin; Sitagliptin 3,847,462 726,067  22
155 Nortriptyline 3,815,024 695,323  2
156 Ropinirole 3,776,826 765,133  12
157 Benzonatate 3,689,272 2,686,915  52
158 Progesterone 3,617,743 983,405  31
159 Ethinyl Estradiol; Levonorgestrel 3,588,502 1,157,623  35
160 Mirabegron 3,570,676 838,764  30
161 Methylprednisolone 3,535,987 2,456,989 0
162 Acyclovir 3,517,810 1,100,883  5
163 Docusate 3,511,398 1,662,829  25
164 Olanzapine 3,498,182 638,470  22
165 Nitroglycerin 3,483,186 1,228,296  20
166 Bimatoprost 3,483,064 720,422  93
167 Nitrofurantoin 3,456,512 2,390,228  26
168 Pioglitazone 3,443,215 872,309  12
169 Amlodipine; Benazepril 3,434,363 711,394  45
170 Ketoconazole 3,417,349 1,674,690  1
171 Clobetasol 3,395,469 1,640,838  10
172 Testosterone 3,359,583 946,138  46
173 Azelastine 3,334,304 1,210,421  6
174 Fluconazole 3,308,929 2,031,951  41
175 Brimonidine 3,271,308 860,260  44
176 Desvenlafaxine 3,267,575 624,316  2
177 Ranitidine 3,260,051 1,094,672  124
178 Oseltamivir 3,185,814 2,838,901  49
179 Levocetirizine 3,108,431 803,646  15
180 Anastrozole 3,090,061 727,779  3
181 Phentermine 3,071,041 824,329  23
182 Sucralfate 2,971,604 836,122  5
183 Sildenafil 2,963,291 1,080,675  14
184 Mesalamine 2,949,823 601,145  46
185 Carbamazepine 2,858,880 440,198  13
186 Buprenorphine 2,850,298 331,721  46
187 Acetaminophen; Codeine 2,791,617 1,314,846  14
188 Flecainide 2,707,962 558,077  29
189 Gemfibrozil 2,679,954 585,900  24
190 Prazosin 2,675,264 460,446  20
191 Lansoprazole 2,623,738 617,945  10
192 Diphenhydramine 2,614,773 564,389  87
193 Pramipexole 2,589,438 580,226  27
194 Ethinyl Estradiol; Etonogestrel 2,540,913 693,822  38
195 Dorzolamide; Timolol 2,482,440 604,169  13
196 Ramipril 2,466,660 772,772  17
197 Lithium 2,460,054 396,292  9
198 Amiodarone 2,445,496 677,240  14
199 Omega-3-acid Ethyl Esters 2,418,806 674,805  88
200 Glyburide 2,417,882 506,025  55

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. There is an inherent delay in collecting the survey data (eg, in the 2021 calendar year), MEPS releasing the data from patients (August 2023), and the ClinCalc DrugStats release (a few months later, classified as the 2021 drug list). Click here to read more about the process of creating the DrugStats database from the MEPS prescribed medicines file.


Prescription data source: Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) 2013-2020. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), Rockville, MD. ClinCalc DrugStats Database version 2022.08. Read more about the ClinCalc DrugStats database.

All ClinCalc DrugStats figures and graphs on this page are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Search

Related Links

Follow Us!

New and Popular

Loading...

Open Menu

Cite This Page

Show AMA citation

 
©2023 - ClinCalc LLC. All rights reserved.
Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Contact Us
Updated Sep 12, 2021
Back to Top
Top