What Are the Top 10 Most Prescribed Drugs?

Atorvastatinis the most prescribed medication, with over 112 million prescriptions written in 2019. It's used to help lowercholesteroland fat levels in your blood. Atorvastatin, together with a healthydietandexercise, may help preventchest pain,heart attacks, orstrokesthat are caused by having too much fat in your blood. Sometimes it's prescribed to preventheartproblems in people who have risk factors such astype 2 diabetes.

Over 102 million prescriptions are written for Levothyroxine every year, making it the second most prescribed medicine. Levothyroxine is a man-made hormone that is used to treathypothyroidism. Hypothyroidism is a condition where your thyroid doesn't produce enoughthyroid hormonenaturally. Your thyroid hormone helps your body stay warm, use energy, and keeps important organs such as your brain and heart working effectively.

Levothyroxine can also be used to prevent or treat an enlarged thyroid gland, called a goiter. A goiter can be caused by surgery,cancer,radiationtreatment, or an imbalance of hormones.

Lisinoprilis a type of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor used to treathigh blood pressure.ACE inhibitorswork by preventing an enzyme in your body from producing angiotensin II, a substance that narrows your blood vessels. When your blood vessels are relaxed, yourblood pressureis lower.

Nearly half of all adults havehypertensionor are taking medicine forhypertension, so this is a condition that affects many people. Doctors write almost 92 million prescriptions for lisinopril every year.High blood pressureincreases your risks ofheart diseaseandstroke, two majorcauses of deathin the US, and lisinopril can help prevent this.

Metforminis used to treattype 2 diabetes, a condition that affects over 30 million Americans. When you havediabetes, your body can't produce enoughinsulinto keep your bloodsugarat a normal level.High blood sugarcan cause health problems such asvision loss,heart disease, andkidney disease.

Metformin helps lower your bloodsugarlevels. It's usually the first medicine doctors prescribe to treattype 2 diabetes. It can be used by itself or with other medicines, along with a healthydietandexercise.

It is also sometimes used to preventdiabetes, treatdiabetesinpregnancyandweight gaincaused by antipsychotic medicines, and treat and preventpolycystic ovarian syndrome(PCOS). However, these uses are not approved by the FDA. Almost 86 million prescriptions are written for metformin, making it the fourth most prescribed medicine.

Metoprololis another medicine used to treathigh blood pressure. It's also used to treat心绞痛, which is a type of severechest pain. It may lower the risk of having anotherheart attackin people who have already had one. Metoprolol is also used to treatheart failure. It's a type of medicine called abeta-blocker.Beta-blockerswork by blocking hormones like adrenaline from increasing your heart rate. As a result, your heart slows down.

Amlodipinebelongs to a group of medicines calledcalcium channel blockersand is used to treathigh blood pressure. Calcium causes your heart to contract strongly and calcium channel blockers prevent calcium from entering your heart and arteries. This helps your blood vessels relax and open up. Amlodipine is also used to treat心绞痛and other issues caused byheart disease.

Albuterolis used to treat bronchospasm, which is when your airways spasm and tighten and make it hard to breathe. Bronchospasms can happen when you haveasthma,bronchitis,emphysema, and other lung diseases. They can also occur in some people when they exercise.

支气管痉挛可能会导致wheezingandcoughing. Albuterol works by relaxing the bronchial smooth muscle. Albuterol is an adrenergicbronchodilator, which is inhaled through your mouth to open your airways.

While over 52 million prescriptions are written foromeprazole, it's also availableover-the-counterwithout a prescription. Omeprazole is used to treat conditions that result from too much acid in your stomach. It's a proton pump inhibitor (PPI), which reduces the amount of acid your stomach produces.

There are many medical problems caused by too much stomach acid, includinggastroesophageal reflux disease(GERD) anddyspepsia. These conditions can causeindigestion,heartburn, and burping. Omeprazole can also be paired with antibiotics to treat ulcers caused byH. pyloribacteria.

Losartanis the fourth in the top 10 medicines used to treat high blood pressure. It's an angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB). This helps your blood vessels relax and lowers your blood pressure. Losartan can also be used to help prevent strokes in people with heart disease. For people who have type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure, losartan may be prescribed to help slow down long-term kidney damage.

Gabapentinworks in your brain to preventseizuresand relieve certain types ofpain. It is used to treatepilepsy,nerve painaftershingles, and moderate to severerestless leg syndrome. It's also sometimes used to treat other types of nervepain,fibromyalgia,hot flashesaftermenopause,anxiety, mood disorders,irritable bowel syndrome(IBS),alcohol withdrawal,migraines,itching, andinsomnia. However, these uses aren't approved by the FDA.