Health & Medicine

The Most Prescribed Medications in the United States

Estimated US outpatient prescriptions filled in 2023, by generic drug, from the ClinCalc DrugStats database (built on the federal Medical Expenditure Panel Survey). This is a ranking of historical dispensing data, not medical advice.

Illustration: the 20 most-prescribed medications in the US in 2023, led by atorvastatin at about 115 million prescriptions.

Rank Medication Brand name(s) Prescriptions (millions) Primary use Drug class Use category
1AtorvastatinLipitor115.3High cholesterol; reducing heart attack and stroke riskStatinCardiovascular
2MetforminGlucophage85.7Type 2 diabetesBiguanideEndocrine and diabetes
3LevothyroxineSynthroid, Levoxyl, Unithroid80.9Underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism)Thyroid hormoneEndocrine and diabetes
4LisinoprilPrinivil, Zestril76.1High blood pressure, heart failureACE inhibitorCardiovascular
5AmlodipineNorvasc68.7High blood pressure, chest pain (angina)Calcium channel blockerCardiovascular
6MetoprololLopressor, Toprol-XL59.5High blood pressure, angina, heart failureBeta blockerCardiovascular
7AlbuterolProAir, Ventolin59.5Asthma and wheezing (quick relief)BronchodilatorRespiratory
8LosartanCozaar56.2High blood pressure, kidney protection in diabetesARBCardiovascular
9GabapentinNeurontin46.0Partial seizures, nerve pain after shinglesAnticonvulsantNeurology and pain
10OmeprazolePrilosec45.3Acid reflux, stomach ulcersProton pump inhibitorDigestive
11SertralineZoloft42.6Depression, anxiety disordersSSRI antidepressantMental health
12RosuvastatinCrestor42.1High cholesterolStatinCardiovascular
13PantoprazoleProtonix37.1Acid reflux, erosive esophagitisProton pump inhibitorDigestive
14EscitalopramLexapro37.1Depression, generalized anxietySSRI antidepressantMental health
15Amphetamine mixed saltsAdderall32.6Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), narcolepsyStimulantMental health
16HydrochlorothiazideMicrozide31.8High blood pressure, fluid retentionThiazide diureticCardiovascular
17BupropionWellbutrin30.4Depression, smoking cessationAtypical antidepressantMental health
18FluoxetineProzac27.5Depression, obsessive-compulsive disorderSSRI antidepressantMental health
19SemaglutideOzempic, Wegovy25.9Type 2 diabetes, weight managementGLP-1 agonistEndocrine and diabetes
20MontelukastSingulair25.9Asthma maintenance, allergic rhinitisLeukotriene inhibitorRespiratory

Source and scope: every figure is the ClinCalc DrugStats estimate for 2023 (database version 2025.08, the latest complete edition available when this post was written), derived from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) run by the US Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.[1][2] These are survey-based estimates, not pharmacy counts, and the survey covers outpatient prescriptions only; drugs given in hospitals or clinics are excluded.[3] The numbers count prescriptions filled, not patients, so one person with twelve monthly refills counts twelve times. Brand names are examples, not the only products, and most volume is dispensed as generics. This is a record of past dispensing, not advice about any medicine. The order of the top five matches a second ClinCalc-based tally, which ranks atorvastatin first,[2][14] but that cross-check uses the same underlying survey, so it is not independent confirmation. Ranks 6 and 7 differ by about a thousand prescriptions, and others are close enough to swap within the survey’s margin of error.

The Top 10

#1

Atorvastatin — 115.3 million prescriptions

Atorvastatin is a statin: a medicine prescribed to lower LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and, in people at risk, to reduce the chance of heart attack and stroke. It was approved in the US in 1996 and has been the most-prescribed drug on ClinCalc’s list every year since 2018, when it moved up from third place in 2015.[1][4][12] An estimated 29.4 million patients filled it in 2023.[1]

#2

Metformin — 85.7 million prescriptions

Metformin is a first-line tablet for type 2 diabetes, working mainly by reducing the amount of sugar the liver releases. Its roots go back to the plant French lilac (goat’s rue), used in European folk medicine; Jean Sterne ran the first clinical trials in 1957, and the US FDA approved it in 1994, with Glucophage sold from 1995.[5] About 20.4 million patients filled it in 2023.[1]

#3

Levothyroxine — 80.9 million prescriptions

Levothyroxine is a synthetic version of the thyroid hormone thyroxine, taken by people whose thyroid gland makes too little (hypothyroidism). It has been used clinically since the 1950s, yet products were sold for decades without formal FDA approval; Synthroid received its approval on July 24, 2002.[6] It rose from fourth to third place between 2022 and 2023, swapping with lisinopril.[1][4]

#4

Lisinopril — 76.1 million prescriptions

Lisinopril is used to treat high blood pressure and heart failure, and after some heart attacks. It belongs to the ACE inhibitor family, which relaxes blood vessels; it was patented in 1978 and approved in the US on December 29, 1987 (brands Prinivil and Zestril).[7] An estimated 18.5 million patients filled it in 2023, the second-highest patient count after atorvastatin and metformin.[1]

#5

Amlodipine — 68.7 million prescriptions

Amlodipine is prescribed for high blood pressure and for chest pain caused by coronary artery disease (angina). It blocks calcium from entering muscle cells in blood-vessel walls, letting them relax. Pfizer’s Norvasc reached the US market in 1992, and the drug is now widely available as a generic.[8]

#6

Metoprolol — 59.5 million prescriptions

Metoprolol is a beta blocker that slows the heart and lowers blood pressure; it is approved for high blood pressure, angina and heart failure and after heart attacks. It was first synthesized in 1969 and approved for medical use in 1978.[9] It places sixth by a hair: ClinCalc’s estimate for albuterol is lower by only about a thousand prescriptions, a gap far smaller than the survey’s margin of error.[1]

#7

Albuterol — 59.5 million prescriptions

Albuterol (called salbutamol outside the US) is the standard quick-relief inhaler for the wheezing and breathlessness of asthma and other airway-narrowing conditions. It was patented in Britain in 1966, sold in the UK from 1969 and approved in the US in 1982.[10] It is the only inhaled product in the top ten.

#8

Losartan — 56.2 million prescriptions

Losartan treats high blood pressure and, in some patients, protects the kidneys in type 2 diabetes. The FDA approved Cozaar on April 14, 1995, and Merck positioned it as an alternative to ACE inhibitors that avoids their characteristic dry cough.[11] It is generally described as the first angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) to reach the market.[11]

#9

Gabapentin — 46.0 million prescriptions

Gabapentin is approved for partial seizures and for nerve pain that lingers after shingles (postherpetic neuralgia). Neurontin was approved by the FDA in December 1993 as an add-on epilepsy treatment, and the shingles-pain indication followed in 2002.[12] It is the top-ranked drug in this list used mainly for neurological conditions.

#10

Omeprazole — 45.3 million prescriptions

Omeprazole reduces stomach acid and is used for acid reflux, heartburn and stomach ulcers. It was the first commercial proton pump inhibitor, with FDA approval on September 14, 1989.[13] A lower-dose version went on sale without a prescription in 2003, so many users never appear in prescription counts like this one.[13]

Medications Prescriptions Health United States

Sources

  1. ClinCalc DrugStats Database, “The Top 300 of 2023” (estimated prescriptions and patients per drug; based on MEPS 2014–2023, database version 2025.08, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0); clincalc.com/DrugStats/Top300Drugs.aspx. Ranks 1–20 were read from this list via search results; the site could not be opened directly from our workspace.
  2. ClinCalc, “ClinCalc DrugStats: Most Commonly Prescribed Medications in 2023” (August 2025); clincalc.com/blog. Also the “Top 200 of 2023” and “Top 250 of 2023” pages, which repeat the same ranking.
  3. ClinCalc, “About the DrugStats Database”; and AHRQ MEPS statistical briefs (outpatient prescribed medicines only); meps.ahrq.gov.
  4. ClinCalc individual drug pages (atorvastatin rank history 2015–2023, semaglutide and lisinopril); the 2022 edition of the Top 200 list (atorvastatin about 109.6 million) was used for year-on-year context.
  5. Metformin history: Bailey and colleagues, reviews of metformin’s origins (Galega officinalis, Sterne’s 1957 trials, FDA approval 1994, Glucophage marketed March 1995), e.g. Aston University publications repository and Médecine/Sciences 2014.
  6. Levothyroxine: Drug Topics, “Abbott must prove Synthroid’s safety and efficacy, FDA”; American Thyroid Association, “How the FDA’s ruling on thyroxine products affects patients and physicians”; BioCentury, “FDA approves Abbott’s Synthroid” (July 2002).
  7. Lisinopril: Wikipedia, “Lisinopril”; ClinCalc lisinopril page (initial FDA approval 12/29/1987).
  8. Amlodipine: Drugs.com Norvasc professional information and DrugBank (first marketed 1992).
  9. Metoprolol: Wikipedia, “Metoprolol”; NCBI Bookshelf LiverTox and StatPearls (approved 1978).
  10. Albuterol/salbutamol: Wikipedia, “Salbutamol”; NCBI StatPearls (patented 1966, UK 1969, US approval 1982).
  11. Losartan: Merck press coverage via The Pharma Letter, “Merck’s Cozaar approved in the USA” (April 1995); DrugBank (approval April 14, 1995).
  12. Gabapentin: US FDA Neurontin prescribing information (initial approval 1993); JAMA (December 1993 approval; 2002 postherpetic neuralgia). Atorvastatin approval year (1996): PMLive and Pharmafile coverage of Lipitor’s launch.
  13. Omeprazole: American Chemical Society, “Molecule of the Week: Omeprazole”; FDA/Drugs.com Prilosec records (approval September 14, 1989; OTC June 2003).
  14. MedShadow Foundation, “The Most Prescribed Drugs in America” (ClinCalc 2023 data expressed as defined daily doses; atorvastatin first, amlodipine third). Not independent of source 1, so a consistency check only.