{"id":7558,"date":"2019-12-19T10:00:42","date_gmt":"2019-12-19T15:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/?p=7558"},"modified":"2021-04-16T14:50:12","modified_gmt":"2021-04-16T18:50:12","slug":"most-prescribed-drugs-state","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/most-prescribed-drugs-state\/","title":{"rendered":"The most prescribed drugs in every state in 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

In August, we broke down the\u00a0<\/span>prescription drugs filled most commonly by SingleCare users<\/span><\/a>, a list that was dominated by blood pressure medications and prescription vitamin D. Now we\u2019re taking a closer look at the most prescribed drugs for 2019\u2014and while many of them overlap, there are a couple of new additions.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

More notably, though, is what this current list of drugs tells us about prescription medication use across the board in the United States. Why are some drugs prescribed more often than others? Is a drug\u2019s popularity good or bad? What health conditions are the most common among Americans?<\/span><\/p>\n

To find the answers to these questions, we asked two physicians to weigh in on the top drugs of the year and share their insights about the trends. Here\u2019s what they had to say.<\/span><\/p>\n

Generic vs. brand-name drugs<\/span><\/h2>\n

Every one of the prescription drugs on the 2019 list is available in generic form, which makes them relatively cheap and easy to obtain, says David Cutler, MD, a family medicine physician at <\/span>Providence Saint John\u2019s Health Center<\/span><\/a>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey are not the novel, blockbuster, money-making drugs you read about on the front pages,\u201d he says. \u201cThey are the drugs in everybody\u2019s medicine cabinet.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Why is this significant? For starters, name-brand drugs drive up both patient out-of-pocket costs and the societal costs of health insurance, says Joshua Septimus, MD, internist at <\/span>Houston Methodist<\/span><\/a>. Since generic drugs are widely accepted as being just as good as name-brand ones, the shift toward generic prescriptions is a positive one.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u201cI\u2019m so pleased to see that doctors are getting away from name-brand medications because there was a time when doctors were largely writing prescriptions for very expensive ones,\u201d Dr. Septimus explains. \u201cBut now the widely prescribed meds are generic, and they\u2019re cheap and have long-standing data to go with them.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What do the most prescribed drugs tell us?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Interestingly, the most prescribed drugs of 2019 fall into a handful of common categories: blood pressure medications, thyroid treatments, antibiotics, and ADHD medications.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This makes sense, says Dr. Septimus, since high blood pressure and hypothyroidism are two of the most common adult diseases. As for the other medications? Broad-spectrum antibiotics will likely always be popular because people will always get sick and need treatment, and the list is filled out with a handful of other common drugs like steroids and anxiety medications.<\/span><\/p>\n

Want to learn more about the most prescribed drugs of 2019, according to SingleCare data (maybe one you take is on the list!) or find the drug that\u2019s most common in your state this year? Read our drug-by-drug breakdown.<\/span><\/p>\n

What is the most prescribed medication?<\/span><\/h2>\n