The development of medications to treat disease remains an important aspect of the advancement of medical science and the alleviation of disease-related suffering. Many Americans routinely use prescription and over-the-counter drugs to treat an array of conditions. Commonly used types of drugs include pain relievers, antibiotics, blood pressure medicines, diabetes drugs and antidepressants.
Pain Relievers
Pain relievers are among the most common drugs used by Americans. "Drug Topics," a newsmagazine for pharmacists, reports that the pain reliever hydrocodone with acetaminophen was the most commonly dispensed prescription drug in the United States in 2008, with more than 121 million prescriptions filled. In a 2008 review article published in the journal "Pain Physician," lead author Dr. Laxmaiah Manchikanti reported that Americans consume approximately 80 percent of the world supply of prescription narcotics, despite accounting for less than 5 percent of the global population. Commonly used narcotics pain relievers include hydrocodone, meperidine, oxycodone, fentanyl and morphine. Over-the-counter pain relievers include aspirin, ibuprofen, acetaminophen and naproxen.
Antibiotics
Doctors prescribe antibiotics to cure bacterial infections. According to the 2008 top-selling generic drugs list issued by "Drug Topics," antibiotics ranked fifth and sixth with more than 100,000 million prescriptions filled for just two of the many prescription antibiotics available in the United States. Commonly prescribed antibiotics include amoxicillin, azithromycin, cephalexin, ciprofloxacin and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole.
Antihypertensive Drugs
Antihypertensive medications help control high blood pressure, a common disorder in the United States. The American Heart Association reports that approximately 74.5 million Americans have high blood pressure. Several different classes of medications may be used to control high blood pressure, including water pills or diuretics; angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, or ACE inhibitors; angiotensin-II receptor antagonists; alpha blockers; beta blockers; and calcium channel blockers.
Diabetes Drugs
The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases reports that nearly 18 million adults and children in the United States are diagnosed diabetics. Most diabetics take one or more diabetes medications, making this group of drugs among the most commonly used in the United States. Several classes of diabetes medications are available, including various forms of insulin, metformin, sulfonylureas, alpha-glucosidase inhibitors, meglitinides, thiazolidinediones and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 or DPP-4 inhibitors.
Antidepressants Drugs
Various types of antidepressant medications are used to treat major depression and other psychiatric and pain-related disorders. The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that 14.8 million adults in the United States have major depression. Classes of antidepressant medications include tricyclics and tetracyclics, monoamine oxidase inhibitors, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, and serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors.
References
- "Drug Topics": 2008 Top 200 Generic Drugs by Total Prescriptions
- "Pain Physician"; Therapeutic Opioids: A Ten-Year Perspective on the Complexities and Complications of the Escalating Use, Abuse, and Nonmedical Use of Opioids; Laxmaiah Manchikanti, M.D., Angelie Singh; March 2008
- American Heart Association: Blood Pressure-Lowering Drugs
- American Heart Association: Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics, 2010 Update
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases: National Diabetes Statistics, Prevalence of Diagnosed and Undiagnosed Diabetes in the United States, All Ages, 2007
