{"id":1667460,"date":"2026-03-04T20:35:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-05T01:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/?p=1667460"},"modified":"2026-03-04T20:35:00","modified_gmt":"2026-03-05T01:35:00","slug":"the-10-most-common-medications-americans-are-taking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/the-10-most-common-medications-americans-are-taking\/1667460\/","title":{"rendered":"The 10 Most Common Medications Americans Are Taking"},"content":{"rendered":"

The 10 Most Common Medications Americans Are Taking<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Authored by George Citroner via The Epoch Times<\/a> (emphasis ours),<\/em><\/p>\n

Americans are popping pills at a rate that might surprise even their doctors\u2014and most of what they\u2019re taking, they chose themselves.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Epoch Times\/Shutterstock<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Nearly two-thirds of U.S. adults take at least one pill each week, and one in six takes five or more, according to a recent study<\/a> published in JAMA, highlighting how central medications\u2014both over-the-counter and prescription\u2014are to everyday health.<\/p>\n

Researchers surveyed 21,000 volunteers aged 18 and older between 2023 and 2024 to discover the most common drugs Americans are taking.<\/p>\n

Top 10 Drugs Taken by Americans<\/h2>\n

The top 10 drugs identified by researchers provide a snapshot of the most common health concerns among Americans.<\/p>\n

According to the study data, the four drugs occupying the top spots are acetaminophen, ibuprofen, aspirin, and naproxen<\/strong>, all of which are over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drugs that help to treat fevers and moderate pain.<\/p>\n

Among prescription drugs, atorvastatin (used to lower cholesterol), lisinopril (for blood pressure), and levothyroxine (for thyroid conditions) were the most frequently reported.<\/p>\n

Less common over-the-counter drugs include diphenhydramine, most familiar as Benadryl, an antihistamine used to treat fevers and allergies, and omeprazole, a drug for acid reflux, which ranks ninth among over-the-counter drugs.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Who Is Taking What<\/h2>\n

Women were more likely to report medication use than men\u201467 percent versus 57 percent.<\/p>\n

Women also showed higher use of levothyroxine (thyroid replacement) and anti-histamines, while men more commonly reported taking atorvastatin (lowers cholesterol) and metformin<\/strong>, used to treat Type 2 diabetes.<\/p>\n

Participants were asked to recall their medication use over the previous seven days, aided by sample labels and prompts about common ailments and medical history to improve recall accuracy. Researchers categorized medications by active ingredients and excluded herbal supplements and topical treatments.<\/p>\n

Risk of Adverse Drug Interactions<\/h2>\n

The findings arrive with a warning that experts say too few patients hear: Over-the-counter does not mean risk-free.<\/p>\n

Researchers found that medication use could swiftly add up, with one in six adults reporting they took five or more medications in the past week, and 3.3 percent saying they took 10 or more.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany people don\u2019t realize these drugs can interact with their prescriptions or add to side effects, especially older adults taking multiple medications<\/strong>,\u201d Reshma Patel, pharmacist and Dallas-based founder of WiseMedRx, where she partners with families to review patients\u2019 medications and identify unnecessary or high-risk drugs, and not involved in the survey, told The Epoch Times.<\/p>\n

Daily pain relievers, for example, can affect the kidneys or stomach when combined with other meds, she noted. The bigger issue, she added, isn\u2019t one single drug; it\u2019s that medications are often started and never reassessed. \u201cOver time, these cumulative effects can become serious.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tawna L. Mangosh, assistant professor in the Department of Pharmacology and director of the of the Translational Pharmaceutical Science Program, at Case Western Reserve University Medical School, and not involved in the survey, flagged pain and fever medications, which contain acetaminophen, ibuprofen, aspirin, and naproxen, as the over-the-counter (OTC) category of greatest concern, given how frequently they appear in combination cold and flu products. These include sleep aids, cough suppressants, decongestants, laxatives, and proton pump inhibitors.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany are combination products with multiple active ingredients<\/strong>,\u201d she told The Epoch Times. \u201cThese medications carry risks and are not appropriate for every patient, especially those with certain underlying conditions. That\u2019s why education around OTC products is so critical.\u201d<\/p>\n

Smarter Use, Not Less Access<\/h2>\n

Both experts stopped short of calling for tighter restrictions. The answer, Patel argued, lies in better systems, not fewer options.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe solution isn\u2019t to limit access, it\u2019s about smarter use,<\/strong>\u201d Patel said, emphasizing that pharmacists should play a bigger role at the point of sale, and helping patients spot potential interactions. \u201cClearer labeling, better public education, and routine medication reviews for anyone on multiple therapies can go a long way toward keeping people safe,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Mangosh agreed, urging patients to read labels carefully. \u201cAs use remains high, this reinforces the importance of ensuring patients understand both the benefits and the risks of what they are taking,\u201d she said. \u201cThat includes carefully reading medication labels, paying attention to active ingredients, dosing instructions, and warnings, and knowing when to seek additional medical care.\u201d<\/p>\n

A Shift Since the 1990s<\/h2>\n

The study observed distinct shifts in drug use patterns compared to data from the late 1990s.<\/p>\n

While the top three medications\u2014acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and aspirin\u2014have held their top positions consistently, pseudoephedrine, once widely used for nasal congestion, saw a marked decline in use after regulatory restrictions in 2005 placed it behind the pharmacy counter and limited purchase quantities.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, loratadine (an antihistamine) and omeprazole (for acid reflux) increased in use after regulatory decisions made these drugs available over the counter<\/strong>, reflecting how regulatory decisions can rapidly reshape what Americans reach for.<\/p>\n

The researchers highlight that this widespread medication use emphasizes the importance of ensuring access while balancing safety.<\/p>\n

They noted that increasing drug accessibility could potentially lower health care costs\u2014since prescription medications often require doctor visits and higher expenses\u2014but also raised concerns about misuse or adverse effects.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Tyler Durden<\/a><\/span>
\nWed, 03\/04\/2026 – 15:35<\/span><\/p>\n

\u200bhttps:\/\/www.zerohedge.com\/political\/10-most-common-medications-americans-are-taking<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The 10 Most Common Medications Americans Are Taking Authored by George Citroner via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), Americans are popping pills at a rate…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":1667461,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1667460","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","wpcat-1-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1667460","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1667460"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1667460\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1667495,"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1667460\/revisions\/1667495"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1667461"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1667460"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1667460"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1667460"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}