Last House

tumbledore:

These are the top 10 of the top 25 psychiatric medications by number of U.S. prescriptions dispensed in 2009 as well as the percent change from 2005 according to IMS Health. Note that the total U.S. population rose approximately 4% from 2005 to 2009.

1. Xanax, used for anxiety, up 29% 
2. Lexapro, used for depression/anxiety, up 13%
3. Ativan, used for anxiety/panic disorders, up 36%
4. Zoloft, used for depression/anxiety/OCD/PTSD/PMDD, down 28%
5. Prozac, used for depression/anxiety, down 9%
6. Desyrel, used for depression/anxiety, N/A
7. Cymbalta, used for depression/anxiety, up 237% 
8. Seroquel, used for bipolar disorder/depression, up 88% 
9. Effexor XR, used for depression/anxiety/panic disorder, down 13%
10. Valium, used for anxiety/panic disorder, up 16%

“The biggest declines we see are drugs that have gone off-patent, including Wellbutrin (a decline of 73 percent in prescriptions) and Paxil (which didn’t even make it on this year’s list). Strattera — prescribed for ADHD — lost 42 percent of the prescriptions it had in 2005. And despite Zoloft’s strong showing in 4th place — down from 2nd place four years ago — it also lost 28 percent of its previous prescriptions.”

Doctors immediately discontinue prescribing drugs once they become unprofitable to pharmaceutical companies, meaning they are pushing drugs for personal financial (and sometimes sexual) gain at the expense of patients’ health. 

but I love my xanax and cymbalta, and man if I could get valium…