Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

We're a Xanax Nation

It's the most-prescribed psychiatric medication

By Nick McMaster, Newser Staff

Posted Apr 29, 2010 5:47 PM CDT | Updated May 2, 2010 9:50 AM CDT

(Newser) – Xanax is king in America—the anti-anxiety drug was prescribed more than any psychiatric medication in 2009, according to PsychCentral. We're a "zonked out" nation, observes Hamilton Nolan at Gawker, noting that the "first speed prescription" (amphetamine salts) doesn't show up until No. 11. Here's the top 10:

Xanax
Lexapro
Ativan
Zoloft
Prozac

Desyrel
Cymbalta
Seroquel
Effexor XR
Valium

We're a Xanax nation. (Flickr)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

CLICK BELOW TO VOTE

13%

11%

53%

15%

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

More Newser Stories

Probe Launched Into Whitney's Prescriptions, Doctors

Medical records will be subpoenaed

(NEWSER) - The investigation into Whitney Houston's death is now turning to her doctors and pharmacies. Investigators are expected in the next few days to serve subpoenas on the singer's physicians and the pharmacies where Houston obtained multiple prescription drugs, reports the Los Angeles Times . Officials aim to determine whether the drugs were dispensed properly, and if the singer was receiving too many prescriptions, a source tells the newspaper. Investigators will likely pore over a state-created database of controlled substances prescribed in California. Tracking celebrity prescription drug use can be complicated because they may regularly use drugs prescribed to aides, according to law enforcement authorities. More»

Antidepressants Mostly Useless, Study Finds

Prozac and others make a difference only in most extreme cases

(NEWSER) - Big Pharma swallowed a bitter pill yesterday as Prozac and other antidepressants were found in a UK study to be largely ineffectual in all but the most extreme cases of depression. The meta-analysis of 47 clinical trials submitted to the FDA with licensing applications for six popular antidepressants concluded that they should be prescribed only when all other treatments fail to yield results, the Independent reports. More»

Accidental OD Killed Ledger

Autopsy results cite combo of sleeping pills, painkillers, and anti-anxiety meds

(NEWSER) - Actor Heath Ledger died of an accidental overdose of sleeping pills, painkillers, and anti-anxiety medication, the New York City Medical Examiner's Office ruled today. OxyContin, Valium, Xanax, Restoril, Unisom, and ibuprofen combined to result in a lethal "acute intoxication," an ME spokeswoman told the AP. More»

Welcome to 'Ground Zero' for America's Pill Poppers

Kermit, West Virginia, home to die-hard addicts

(NEWSER) - A tiny coal-mining town of barely 300 people and no supermarket is home to one booming business: pharmacies. In Kermit, West Virginia, two Sav-Rites alone moved 3.2 million doses of hydrocodone in 2006—a tad more than the 97,000 doses the average pharmacy sells in a year, reports Salon . Their customers were pill addicts from all over the Eastern seaboard. Now prosecutors have closed the Sav-Rites, but more "pill mills" are cropping up in a game of Whac-A-Mole against America's biggest drug menace today: prescription medicine. More»

In Whitney's System: Valium, Xanax, Booze

Houston killed by combination of alcohol and drugs, insider says

(NEWSER) - Whitney Houston was killed by a combination of Valium, Xanax, and alcohol, an insider tells Radar . All three were found in her system, but the coroner is still waiting for toxicology results before the "major contributing factor of her demise" can be determined, the source says, adding that drowning is almost certainly not to blame: "Her heart stopped beating because her respiratory system was suppressed because of the anti-anxiety meds, and combined with the booze it probably happened very quickly before she was found partially submerged in the bathtub." (In other Whitney news, sources say Bobby Brown is shopping a tell-all about their life together.) More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

We're a Xanax Nation

It's the most-prescribed psychiatric medication

OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

depression • prescription drugs • Xanax • Valium • Prozac • anxiety disorder • Lexapro

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

[ By Comments ]

More Newser Stories

Probe Launched Into Whitney's Prescriptions, Doctors

Medical records will be subpoenaed

Antidepressants Mostly Useless, Study Finds

Prozac and others make a difference only in most extreme cases

Accidental OD Killed Ledger

Autopsy results cite combo of sleeping pills, painkillers, and anti-anxiety meds

Welcome to 'Ground Zero' for America's Pill Poppers

Kermit, West Virginia, home to die-hard addicts

In Whitney's System: Valium, Xanax, Booze

Houston killed by combination of alcohol and drugs, insider says

About Us

Site

Community

Site Maps

Tools

More News

What is Newser?