Healthcare Insights
Most commonly prescribed antidepressants
Major depressive disorder episodes were the most common mental health diagnoses in 2021. With more and more adults reporting symptoms of anxiety and depression, discussing how we cope and manage our mental health is becoming less taboo. Treatment options range from traditional therapy, virtual and telehealth services, digital therapeutics and medication.
The following list contains the top 20 antidepressants by prescription volume for 2021 based on data from the Definitive Healthcare ClaimsRx product.
Top 20 antidepressant medications by prescription volume
| Rank | Drug name | 2021 prescriptions | Explore dataset |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sertraline hydrochloride | 18,337,255 | Explore |
| 2 | Trazodone hydrochloride | 15,175,105 | Explore |
| 3 | Bupropion hydrochloride | 14,849,877 | Explore |
| 4 | Fluoxetine | 12,925,013 | Explore |
| 5 | Duloxetine | 11,168,323 | Explore |
| 6 | Escitalopram | 9,632,164 | Explore |
| 7 | Venlafaxine hydrochloride | 7,995,409 | Explore |
| 8 | Citalopram hydrobromide | 7,181,357 | Explore |
| 9 | Escitalopram oxalate | 6,958,167 | Explore |
| 10 | Amitriptyline hydrochloride | 5,107,340 | Explore |
| 11 | Mirtazapine | 4,408,503 | Explore |
| 12 | Paroxetine | 4,114,922 | Explore |
| 13 | Sumatriptan succinate | 2,152,081 | Explore |
| 14 | Sertraline | 1,726,142 | Explore |
| 15 | Sumatriptan | 1,659,173 | Explore |
| 16 | Citalopram | 1,626,946 | Explore |
| 17 | Desvenlafaxine | 1,452,868 | Explore |
| 18 | Nortriptyline hydrochloride | 1,400,642 | Explore |
| 19 | Rizatriptan benzoate | 1,375,510 | Explore |
| 20 | Doxepin hydrochloride | 1,249,531 | Explore |
Fig. 1. Data from the Definitive Healthcare ClaimsRx product. Claims data is sourced from multiple medical claims clearinghouses in the United States and updated monthly. Data accurate as of June 2022.
What are the most common antidepressants?
Sertraline hydrochloride, used for multiple mental health and mood disorders, is the most prescribed antidepressant on the list with more than 18 million prescriptions in 2021. Trazadone hydrochloride, used to treat anxiety and depression, is second on the list with more than 15 million prescriptions. Next, bupropion hydrochloride had 14.8 million prescriptions and fluoxetine had nearly 13 million.
The antidepressant drugs on this list account for nearly 130.5 million prescriptions.
What are the different types of antidepressants?
Antidepressant medications can fall into a number of different categories which are based on how the drug affects the body’s chemistry. The main types of antidepressants include:
- Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)
- Serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs)
- Atypical antidepressants
- Tricyclic antidepressants
- Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs)
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