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Top 25 Psychiatric Medication Prescriptions for 2011

These are the top 25 psychiatric medications by number of
U.S. prescriptions dispensed in 2011, according to IMS
Health. Ive also provided their 2009 and 2005 ranking (you
can view the 2009 list here).
To put the percent changes below into perspective, the U.S.
total population rose approximately 1.6 percent from 2009 to
2011. That suggests that anything above 1.6 percent change was driven by other factors more people seeking
treatment, more pharmaceutical advertising and marketing, or some other factor.
The biggest movers and shakers on the list were Celexa moving up 15 spots to grab the second mostprescribed psychiatric drug in 2011 and Wellbutrin XL, moving from 22 to 13.
Drugs used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ( ADHD) generic amphetamine salts and
methylphenidate enjoyed big gains as well.
2011
Rank

2009
Rank

2005
Rank

Brand name
(generic name)

Used for

U.S. Prescriptions
(% change from 2009)

1.

1.

1.

Xanax
(alprazolam)

Anxiety

47,792,000
(9%)

2.

17.

11.

Celexa
(citalopram)

Depression, Anxiety

37,728,000
(36%)

3.

4.

2.

Zoloft
(sertraline)

Depression, Anxiety, OCD, PTSD,

PMDD

37,208,000
(8%)

4.

3.

5.

Ativan
(lorazepam)

Anxiety, panic disorder

27,172,000
(4%)

5.

5.

4.

Prozac
(fluoxetine HCL)

Depression, Anxiety

24,507,000
(6%)

6.

2.

3.

Lexapro
(escitalopram)

Depression, Anxiety

23,707,000
(- 16%)

7.

6.

NA

Desyrel
(trazodone HCL)

Depression, Anxiety

22,591,000
(15%)

8.

7.

16.

Cymbalta
(duloxetine)

Depression, Anxiety, fibromyalgia,

diabetic neuropathy

17,770,000
(6%)

9.

10.

9.

Valium
(diazepam)

Anxiety, Panic disorder

14,694,000
(6%)

10.

8.

13.

Seroquel
(quetiapine)

Bipolar disorder, Depression

14,213,000
(- 11%)

11.

11.

10.

Paxil
(paroxetine HCL)

Depression, Anxiety, Panic

disorder

13,990,000
(- 6%)

12.

9.

6.

Effexor XR
(venlafaxine HCL
ER)

Depression, Anxiety, Panic

disorder

12,469,000
(NA for HCL ER)

13.

22.

10.

Wellbutrin XL
(bupropion HCL
XL)

Depression

12,151,000
(77%)

14.

12.

14.

Risperdal
(risperidone)

Bipolar disorder, Schizophrenia,

irritability in autism

12,092,000
(14%)

15.

11.

NA

Amphetamine
salts
(Generic)

Attention deficit disorder

9,682,000
(36%)

16.

15.

NA

Abilify
(aripiprazole)

Bipolar disorder, Schizophrenia,

Depression

8,881,000
(8%)

17.

19.

NA

Vyvanse
(lisdexamfetamine)

Attention deficit disorder

8,467,000
(50%)

18.

NA

NA

Wellbutrin SR
(bupropion HCL
SR)

Depression

8,456,000
(75%)

19.

13.

NA

Vistaril*
(hydroxyzine)

Anxiety, tension

7,268,000
(9%)

20.

NA

NA

Amphetamine
salts ER
(Generic)

Attention deficit disorder

6,499,000
(67%)

21.

18.

19.

Buspar
(buspirone)

Sleep, Anxiety

6,334,000
(15%)

22.

20.

17.

Zyprexa
(olanzapine)

Bipolar disorder, Schizophrenia

4,576,000
(- 15%)

23.

16.

NA

Concerta
(methylphenidate)

Attention deficit disorder

4,328,000
(- 45%)

24.

NA

NA

Methylphenidate
(generic)

Attention deficit disorder

4,248,000
(NA)

25.

25.

NA

Pristiq
(desvenlafaxine)

Depression

4,039,000
(61%)

Notes:
If no percentage change is listed, we did not track it in 2005.
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 Healths 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.

Dr. John Grohol is the founder & CEO of Psych Central. He is an author, researcher and
expert in mental health online, and has been writing about online behavior, mental health and
psychology issues -- as well as the intersection of technology and human behavior -- since
1992. Dr. Grohol sits on the editorial board of the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social
Networking and is a founding board member and treasurer of the Society for Participatory
Medicine.
APA Reference
Grohol, J. (2012). Top 25 Psychiatric Medication Prescriptions for 2011. Psych Central. Retrieved on October 9,
2014, from http://psychcentral.com/lib/top-25-psychiatric-medication-prescriptions-for-2011/00012586

Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 30 Jan 2013

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