From Vmal and Health Statistics of the National Center for Health Statlstms Number 78. May 12, 1982 

Drugs Most Frequently Used in Office-Based Practice: 

NationalAmbulatory Medical Care Survey, 1980 

by Hugo Koch, Division of Health Care Statistics 

. This report lists and describes the 200 drugs most 

frequently utilized in 1980 by physicians engaged in 

office-based practice. (Inclusion of trade names is for 

identification only and does not imply endorsement 

by the Public Health Service or the U.S. Department 

of Health and Human Services.) Data are based on 

findings from the National Ambulatory Medical Care 

Survey. 

The National Center for Health Statistics uses the 

National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS) 

to collect descriptive data about the medical care provided in doctors’ offices. Each year NAMCS data collectors contact a representative sample of the 

Nation’s doctors of medicine and osteopathy whose 

primary jobs are office-based, patient-care practice. 

The sampled physicians in turn complete records 

(figure 1) for a systematic random sample of their 

office visits over a weekly reporting period. 

The year 1980 was the first in the 8-year history 

of NAMCS that respondents reported the number and 

names of the specific drugs they used (see figure 1, 

item 11). This resulted in an estimated 679,593,000 

mentions of pharmaceutical agents ordered or provided for the purpose of prevention, diagnosis, or 

treatment. Mentions included new or continued medications and nonprescription as well as prescription 

drugs. The methodology used to collect and process 

drug information for the 1980 NAMCS is reported 

elsewhere. 1 

Since the estimates presented in this report are 

based on a sample rather than on the entire universe 

of office visits, the data are subject to sampling variability. The technical notes at the end of this report 

provide a brief explanation of the sampling errors, 

and guidelines for judging the precision of estimates. 

Table 1 lists, in rank order, the 200 drugs that 

lNational Center for Health Statistics, H. Koch: The collection and 

processing of drug information, National Ambulatory Medical Care 

Survey, United States, 1980. Vital and Health Statistics. Series 2-No. 

90. DHHS Pub. No. (PHS) 82-1364. Public Health Service. Washington. U.S. Government Printing Office. In press. 

physicians most frequently ordered or provided at 

their office visits. The listing is arbitrarily restricted 

to the mentions of drugs that were specifically named 

by respondents. This led to the exclusion of four 

entry choices that did not identify a specific agent, 

indicating only the therapeutic effect desired. These 

four therapeutic effects were: 

�	 Allergy relief or shots (unspecified), with 

9,986,000 mentions. 

�	 Vitamin(s) (unspecified), with 2,124,000 mentions. 

�	 Vawination (unspecij7ed), with 1,233,000 mentions. 

� Skin preparations (unspecified), with 948,000 

mentions. 

A superscript following a listed drug indicates a 

drug family; i.e., a grouping of drugs whose members 

have the same core identifier and the same or a 

closely similar therapeutic effect. Example: the drug 

family ARISTOCORTf includes the following members: ARISTOCORT, ARISTOCORT A, ARISTOCORT FORTE, ARISTOCORT HP, ARISTOCORT 

INTRALESIONAL, and ARISTOCORT R. 

The reader is cautioned that these rankings, due 

to sampling variability, may be somewhat artificial 

because some estimates may not enjoy a clear statistical difference from other near estimates. 

The 200 drugs comprise only 8 percent of the 

total 2,632 drugs named by respondents. However, 

they accounted for about 448,707,000 mentions, or 

66 percent of the total 679,593,000 drug mentions. 

Tables 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 characterize the 1980 

drug mentions according to certain key dimensions, 

the knowledge of which is basic to any study of drug 

utilization. From these tables the reader may judge 

the degree that the ranking 200 drugs are representative of all drug mentions. 

Entry status. –The data in table 2 characterize the 

drug mentions by their entry status; that is, they reveal whether the doctor recorded the mention by 

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, Public Health Service, Office of Health Research, Statistics, and Technology 
--

2


ASSURANCE OF CONFIDENTALITV-A!I !nformm,.n wh(,h wo.ld IIerm,l #dent#f#cat,.. 

of m ,ndiv,duc.1, , practice, m m enabl(shrmnt wll be held ..nf(denttal, wII be .*d only 

DeP3rt.ment of He31th, Ed.cm.n, and welfare 

Pub!,. Health Serv,ca ANo. 001743 . by ~ermns ens.med m and for the P.rpo,es .1 the survey md w(II not be d!sclosed or r.. Of 1$.x,.1 Health Resanrch, Statmt$.s, and Techn.lwy 

Ie,,,d t. .ath8, Perw”, or “sad for ,.” Other PurrJo$e, Natmnd Csmer for Health Ste.tiNics I 

1, DATE OF VISIT PATlENT RECORD , 

+ NATIONAL AMBULATORY MEDICAL CARE SURVEY 

2. ylEHOF 3, SEX 4. COLOR OR RACE 5mETHNICITY & PATlENT’S COMPLAINT(S), SYMPTOM(S), OR OTHER 

REASON(S) FOR ~VISIT [In patienth own wora%] 

1 (J WHITE 

1 � HISPANIC a. MOST IMPORTANT 

2 l_JBLACK ORIGIN 

__ll_. ::;:” ‘@’~[&”c 2 � NOT 

MonTh Day Ye,, HISPANIC b, OTHER 

4 � AMERlcAN lNOIAN/ 

ALASKAN NATIVE 

9, PHYSICIAN% OIAGNOSES 

7“ ~;:?;:k~~R ‘His 8“ 7it2;2;Z;;eZ5RZ’~2f;2~ “S’T 

I � NONE 8 � EKG a. PRINCIPAL OIAGNOSIS/PqOBLEM ASSOCIATE WITH ITEM Ed. 

1 � ACUTE PROBLEM 2 � LIMITCO HISTOFfY/EXAM. 9 � VISIONT& 

2 � CHRONIC PROSLEM, ROUTINE 3 � GENERAL H15TORY/EXAM. IO l_JENOOSCOPY 

3 � CHRONIC PROBLEM, FLAREUp 4 �PAP TEST 11 Q MENTAL STATUS 

EXAM. b. OTHER SIGNIFICANT CURRENT OIAGNOSES 4 l_JPOSTSURGERY/POST INJURY 5 �CL!NICALL4BTEST 

,2 � OTHER Wp<cyy) 

5 l_JNON.ILLNE55cARE (R0uTiNE ~ � x,RAy 

PRENATAL, GENERAL EXAM., 

WELL BABY, ETC.) 7 � BLOOO PRESSURE CHECK 

lom l+&~B;:s:E7 Il. MEDICATION THERAPY THIS VISIT � NONE 

[Using brand or generic names, recoti all n@wand continued meatcatfons ordered, injected, administered, or otherwise 

provided at this vist Include immunizing and dewm”tizing agents] 

, � YES 20N0 

1, 1, 

I 

IF YES, FOR THE 

CONDITION IN 2. 2. 

ITEM 9=s? 

a. FOR PRINCIPAL OIAGNOSES IN ITEM 9a, b. FOR ALL OTHER REASONS. 

3. 3, 

I � YES z QNO 

4, 4. 

12. NON-MEDICATION THERAPY 13, WAS PA71ENT 14m:;::;S::lOJ’’;; HlflSlT 15. y;wToN 

[Chs.k all services ordered or provided this visit]	 REFERREO 

FOR THIS VISIT VISIT 

BY A~HER 1 � NO FOLLOW-UP PLANNEO [Time actually 

1 � NONE 6 � DIET COUNSELING PHYSICIAN? 2 � RaURNATSPECIFIEO TIME spent with 

physician] 

2DPHYSIOT16ERAPY 7 �F:#AW:fil 3 � RETURN IF NEEDEO, P.R.N. 

3 � OFFICE suRGEflY 

s l_JMEoIcALcOLfNsELING , � YES 4 �TELEPHONEFOI.LOW-.PPLANNE0 

4 � FAMILY PLANNING 

9 � OTHER /SF.CCifJU 

E � REFERREDTOOTHER pHY81clAN 

5 � PSYCHOTHERAPY/ 2DN0 6 �RETuRNEDIo REFERRING PHYSICIAN THERAPEUTIC LISTENING 

7 � AOMITT0H03plTAL — 

F.Snut9a 

S � OTHER (Sptilfy) 

Ue-c. m=l. (a/70\ OMB .— No. -. S&R149 “-” !“-- ,“, . ., 

Figure 1. Patient Record from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey 
1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

32

33

34

35

36

37

38

39

40

41

42

43

44

45

46

47

48

49

50

51

52

53

54

55

56

57

58

59

60

61

amcecMa3 

Table 1. The 200 drugs most frequently used in office-based practice, by name of drug, generic class, and number of mentions: 

United States, 1980 

Rank Name of drugq 

Ali drugs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

200 drugs most frequently used 

LAslx . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

AMPICILLIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

PENICILLINf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

INDERAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

TETRACYCLINEf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

ASPIRINf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

DYAZIDE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

LANOXIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .)....... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

POLIO VACCINE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

VALIUM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

DIPHTHERIA TETANUSTOXOIDS PERTUSSIS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

PREDNISONE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

MOTRIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

vlTAMIN B-12f . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

HYDROCHLOROTHIAZIDEf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

AMOXICILLIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

DIMETAPP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

ERYTHROMYCIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

INSULIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

ALDOMET . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Generic class 

FUROSEMIDE


AMPICILLIN


PENICILLIN


PROPRANOLOL


TETRACYCLINE


ASPIRIN


COMBINATION DRUG


DIGOXIN


POLIO VACCINE


DIAZEPAM


DIPHTHERIATETANUS TOXOIDSPERTUSSIS


PREDNISONE


IBUPROFEN


VITAMIN B-12


HYDROCHLOROTHIAZIDE


AMOXICILLIN


COMBINATION DRUG


ERYTHROMYCIN


INSULIN


METHYLDOPA


DIGOXIN


TUBERCULIN


CIMETIDINE


HYDROCHLOROTHIAZIDE


CEPHALEXIN


ERYTHROMYCIN


COMBINATION DRUG


LSOSORBIDE


ACETAMINOPHEN


CHLORTHALIDONE


COMBINATION DRUG


PROMETHAZINE


SULINDAC


DIPHENHYDRAMINE


AMOXICILLIN


TRIAMCINOLONE


CHLORPROPAMIDE


INDOMETHACIN


NITROGLYCERIN


THYROID 

COMBINATION DRUG 

COMBINATION DRUG 

COMBINATION DRUG .: 

CLINDAMYCIN .f NAPROXEN 

ERYTHROMYCIN 

BROMPHENIRAMINE 

COMBINATION DRUG 

COMBINATION DRUG 

ESTROGENS 

METOPROLOL 

COMBINATION DRUG 

DEXAMETHASONE 

COMBINATION DRUG 

AMITRIPTYLINE 

COMBINATION DRUG 

INFLUENZA VIRUS VACCINE 

CLORAZEPATE 

FLURAZEPAM 

POTASSIUM REPLACEMENT SOLUTIONS 

COMBINATION DRUG 

WARFARIN 

LEVOTHYROXINE 

Number of 

men tions in 

thousands 

679,593 

9,879 

9,795 

9,736 

9,625 

9,478 

8,800 

7,435 

7,105 

6,535 

6,499 

6,067 

5,879 

5,819 

5,813 

5,751 

5,506 

5,377 

5,363 

5,248 

5,237 

4,801 

4;488 

4,482 

4,395 

4,268 

4,176 

4,019 

3,905 

3,815 

3,772 

3,661 

3;541 

3,393 

3,366 

3,284 

3,279 

3,204 

3,181 

3,132 

3,071 

3,043 

3,009 

2,943 

2,908 

2,857 

2,844 

2,824 “ 

2,783 

“	 2,781 

2,683 

2,633 

2,520 

2,449 

2,386 

2,363 

2,257 

2,225 

2,217 

2,202 

2,161 

2,133 

2,106 

2,105 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

TYLENOL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

HYGROTON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

TYLENOLW/CODEINEf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

PHENERGANf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

CLINORIL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

BENADRYL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

AMOXIL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

KENALOG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

DIA81NESE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

INDOCIN . ; . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

NITROGLYCERIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

THYROID . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

DARVOCET-N . . . . . . . . . . . . . .’ . . . . . . . . . . . . . ?.. . . . . . . . 

CORTISPORIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

BACTRIMf . . . . . . . . ...’..... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

CLEOCINf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

NAPROSYN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

E-MYCIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

DIMETANEf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

PHENERGANW/CODEINEf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

SEPTRAf, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

PREMARINf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

LOPRESSOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

DONNATAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

DECADRONf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

NEOSPORIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

ELAVIL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

ALDACTAZIDE 

influenza VlRilSVA6ClNE:: :::::::::::::::::::::::: 

TRANXENE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

DALMANE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

POTASSIUM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

ALDORIL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

COUMADIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

: SYNTHROID . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

See footnote at end of table. 

DIOXIN . . . . . . . . . . . 

TUBERCULIN TINE TEST’ 

TAGAMET . . . . . . . . . . 

HYDRODIURIL . . . . . . . 

KEFLEX . . . . . . . . . . . 

E.E.S. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

ACTIFED . . . . . . . . . . . 

ISORDIL . . . . . . . . . . . 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
.

.

4


Tablel. The200drugs most frequently used inoffice-based practice, bynameof drug, generic class, and number of mentions: 

United States, 1980–Con. 

Number of 

Rank Name of drug’1 

64 DIURIL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


65 ANTIVERT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


66 PRENATAL VITAMINSf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


67 BUTAZOLIDINf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


68 MONISTATf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


69 CELESTONEf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


70 SLOW-K . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


71 PEN-VEE-K . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


72 V-CILLINf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


73 XYLOCAINEf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


74 DILANTIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


75 TIMOPTIC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


76 VIBRAMYCIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


77 PHENOBARBITAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


78 SINEQUAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


79 MINOCIN, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


80 DEPO-MEDROL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


81 ATARAX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


82 HYDROCORTISONE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


83 MACRODANTIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .,


84 ORTHO-NOVUM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


85 EMPIRINW/CODEINEf, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


B6 LIBRA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


87 DRIXORAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


88 MYCOLOG Y. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


89 NALFON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


90 81clLLlNf . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...’-. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


91 ROBITUSSINf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


92 LOMOTIL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


93 FLUOROURACIL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


94 PERSANTINE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


95 MYLANTA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


96 CECLOR


97 TETANUS+OX’ODD::::::::: ::::::::::::::::::::::: ::


98 CHORIONICGONADOTROPIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


99 CHLOR-TRIMETONf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


100 NOVAHISTINEf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


101 CAROTID . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


102 ORNATE . . . . . . . . ...’..... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


103 ARISTOCORTf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


104 ATIVAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


105 MATERNA L. . . . . . ...<..... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


106 ACHROMYCINf


107 SUDAFEDf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ::::::::::::::::::::::: :::


108 COM81D . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


109 FIORINAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


110 NITRO-BID . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


111 MAALOX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


112 ASCRIPTIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


113 LIDEX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


114 ORINASE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


115 APRESOLINE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...”.. . . .


116 L18RIUM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


117 ACTH


118 GANTRklN” :::::::::::::: ::::::::::::::::::::::: ::


119 ZYLOPRIM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


120 SER-AP-ESf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


121 TRIAVIL, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


122 ESIDRIX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


123 ILOSONE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


124 BRETHINE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


125 ENDURON, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


126 LO/OVRAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


127 MELLARIL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


128 RONDECf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


129 NORGESIC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


See footnote at end of table, 

Generic class men tions in 

thousands 

CHLOROTHIAZIDE 

MECLIZINE 

MULTIVITAMINS PRENATAL 

PHENYL8UTAZONE 

MICONAZOLE . 

BETAMETHASONE 

POTASSIUM REPLACEMENT SOLUTIONS 

PENICILLIN 

PENICILLIN 

COMBINATION DRUG 

PHENYTOIN 

TIMOLOL 

DOXYCYCLINE 

PHENOBARBITAL 

DOXEPIN 

MINOCYCLINE 

METHYLPREDNISOLONE 

HYDROXYZINE 

HYDROCORTISONE 

NITROFURANTOIN 

COMBINATION DRUG 

COMBINATION DRUG 

COMBINATION DRUG 

COMBINATION DRUG 

COM81NATIONDRUG 

FENOPROFEN 

PENICILLIN 

GUAIFENESIN 

COM81NATION DRUG 

FLUOROURACIL 

DIPYRIDAMOLE 

COMBINATION DRUG 

CEFACLOR 

TETANUS TOXOID 

CHORIONIC GONADOTROPIN 

CHLORPHENIRAMINE 

COMBINATION DRUG 

AMOXICILLIN 

COMBINATION DRUG 

TRIAMCINOLONE 

LORAZEPAM


MULTIVITAMINS PRENATAL


TETRACYCLINE


PSEUDOEPHEDRINE


COMBINATION DRUG 

COMBINATION DRUG 

NITROGLYCERIN 

COMBINATION DRUG 

ASPIRIN 

FLUOCINONIDE 

TOLBUTAMIDE 

HYDRALAZINE 

CHLORDIAZEPOXIDE 

CORTICOTROPIN 

SULFISOXAZOLE 

ALLOPURINOL 

COMBINATION DRUG 

COMBINATION DRUG 

HYDROCHLOROTHIAZIDE 

ERYTHROMYCIN 

TERBUTALINE 

METHYCLOTHIAZIDE 

COM81NATION DRUG 

THIORIZAZINE 

COMBINATION DRUG 

COMBINATION DRUG 

2,101 

2,093 

2,082 

2,023 

1,976 

1,970 

1,951 

1,932 

1,928 

1,887 

1,877 

1,875 

1,844 

1,790 

1,766 

1,760 

1,742 

1,737 

1,732 

1,724 

1,697 

1,687 

1,670 

1,656 

1,649 

1,642 

1,629 

1,617 

1,610 

1,609 

1,605 

1,598 

1,597 

1,583 

1,568 

1,559 

1,557 

1,539 

1,511 

1,510 

1,503 

1,491 

1,482 

1,482 

1,443 

1,435 

1,433 

1,400 

1,389 

1,388 

1,352 

1,351 

1,343 

1,315 

1,315 

1,314 

1,306 

1,305 

1,299 

1,284 

1,273 

1,253 

1,244 

1,242 

1,241 

1,224 
ackEe&m5 

Tablel. The200drugs most frequently used inoffice-based practice, by name of drug, generic class, and number of mentions: 

UnitedStates, 1980–Con. 

Rank 

130 

131 

132 

133 

134 

135 

136 

137 

138 

139 

140 

141 

142 

143 

144 

145 

146 

147 

148 

149 

150 

151 

152 

153 

154 

155 

156 

157 

158 

159 

160 

161 

162 

163 

164 

165 

166 

167 

168 

169 

170 

171 

172 

173 

174 

175 

176 

177 

178 

179 

180 

181 

182 

183 

184 

185 

186 

187 

188 

189 

190 

191 

192 

193 

194 

195 

Name of drug 1 

VALISONE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

TERRAMYCIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

RETIN-A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

PARAFON FORTE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

RESERPINE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

M-M-R . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

DIPHTHERIA TETANUSTOXOIDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

NALDECON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

MAXITROL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

METAMUCIL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

ROBAXIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

MINIPRESS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

BENTYL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

IONAMIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

QUINIDINEf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

PERCODANf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

DARVONf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

CORTISONE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

THEO-DUR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

FLAGYL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

DIPROSONE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

METHOTREXATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

ESTROGEN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

CYTOXAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

FASTIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

TOLECTIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

LINCOCIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

TRIAMINICf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

NEO-SYNEPHRINEf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

PILOCARPINE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

ALUPENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

ORAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

FLURESS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

SOMAf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

MEPROBAMATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

CHLOROPTICf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

TITAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

MYCOSTATIN 

ZAROXOLYN .::::::::::::: :::::::::::::::::::::::: 

TUSS-ORNADE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

DONNAGELf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

SALICYLICACIDf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

DESQUAM-Xf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

NITROGEN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

LIMBITROL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

CORDRANf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

BENYLIN SYRUP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

LOTRIMIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

8ETADlNEf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

CATAPRES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

AMINOPHYLLINEf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

CORGARD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

QUIBRONf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

DEMEROL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

FLEXERIL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

IRON PREPARATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

SORBITRATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

TOLINASE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

8ENzAcf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

TOFRANIL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

MEDROL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

FERROUSSULFATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

ERYTHROCIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

PAVABID . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

DRAMAMINE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

SLO-PHYLLINf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Number of 

Generic class men tions in 

BETAMETHASONE


OXYTETRACYCLINE


TRETINOIN


COMBINATION DRUG


RESERPINE


COMBINATION DRUG


DIPHTHERIA TETANUS TOXOIDS


COMBINATION DRUG


COMBINATION DRUG


PSYLLIUM


METHOCARBAMOL


PRAZOSIN


DICYCLOMINE


PHENTERMINE


QUINIDINE


COM81NATIONDRUG


PROPOXYPHENE


CORTISONE


THEOPHYLLINE


METRONIDAZOLE


BETAMETHASONE


METHOTREXATE


ESTROGENS


CYCLOPHOSPHAMIDE


PHENTERMINE


TOLMETIN


LINCOMYCIN


COMBINATION DRUG


PHENYLEPHRINE


PILOCARPINE


METAPROTERENOL


COMBINATION DRUG


COMBINATION DRUG


CARISOPRODOL


MEPROBAMATE


CHLORAMPHENICOL


TRIMETHOBENZAMIDE


NYSTATIN


METOLAZONE


COMBINATION DRUG


COMBINATION DRUG


SALICYLICACID


COMBINATION DRUG


NITROGEN


COMBINATION DRUG


FLURANDRENOLIDE


DIPHENHYDRAMINE


CLOTRIMAZOLE


IODINE TOPICAL PREPARATIONS


CLONIDINE


AMINOPHYLLINE


NADOLOL


COMBINATION DRUG


MEPERIDINE


CYCLOBENZAPRINE


IRON PREPARATIONS ,fd
 LSOSORBIDE


TOLAZAMIDE


COMBINATION DRUG


IMIPRAMINE


METHYLPREDNISOLONE


IRON PREPARATIONS


ERYTHROMYCIN


PAPAVERINE


DIMENHYDRINATE


THEOPHYLLINE


thousands 

1,222 

1,178 

1,178 

1,171 

1,170 

1,170 

1,167 

1,166 

1,162 

1,160 

1,13B 

1,128 

1,116 

1,108 

1,107 

1,105 

1,104 

1,100 

1,075 

1,072 

1,057 

1,044 

1,043 

1,030 

1,012 

1,007 

1,003 

997 

987 

979 

979 

956 

952 

947 

945 

942 

937 

935 

932 

929 

924 

922 

909 

901 

900 

896 

895 

894 

891 

890 

B87 

885 

882 

879 

879 

874 

872 

870 

868 

B37 

834 

834 

B32 

828 

825 

822 

See foot:noteat end of table. 
6


Tablel. The200drugs mow frequently used inoffice-based practice, bynameof drug, generic class, and number of mentions: 

United States, 1980-Con. 

Number of 

Rank Name of drug 1 Generic class mentions in 

thousands 

196 VASODILAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ISOXUPRINE 818 

197 TOPICORT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DESOXIMETASONE 805 

198 COMPAZINE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PROCHLORPERAZINE 782 

199 VELOSEF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CEPHRADINE 781 

200 ITALWINf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PENTAZOCINE 779 

Isuperscriptf denotes drug familY. 

Table2. Number andpercent distribution ofalldrug mansions, andnum&r, percent distribution, andpercent ofalldrug mentions of the200 drugs 

most frequently named, byentrystatux United States, 1980 

All drugs 200 drugs most frequently 

named 

Entry status Numberof Numberof Percent of 

mentions Percant mentions Percent all drug iJ7 distribution in distribution mentions 

thousands thousands 

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 679,593 100.0 448,707 100.0 66.0 

Generic name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164,464 24.2 128,501 28.6 78,1 

Brandname . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 483,587 71.2 320,206 71.4 66.2 

Unknown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31,542 4.6 . . . . . . ,,. 

* 

Table3. Number andpercent distribution ofalldrug mentions, andnumber, percant distribution, andparcent ofalldrug mentions of the200 drugs 

most frequently named, by prescription status: United States, 1980 

All drugs 200 drugs most frequently 

named 

Prescription status Numberof Numberof Percent of 

mentions Percent mentions Percent all drug in distribution in distribution mantions 

thousands thousands 

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 679,593 100.0 448,707 100.0 66.0 

Prescriptiondrug . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 561,228 82.6 403,807 90.0 72.0 

Nonprescription drug . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85,344 12.6 44,900 10,0 52,6 

Unknown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33,021 4.9 . . . . . . . . . 
ackEdab7 

Table4. Number andpercent distribution of alldrug mentions, andnumber, percent distribution, and percent of alldrug mentions of the200 drugs 

most frequently named, by Fecferal control status: United States, 1980 

All drugs 200 drugs most frequently 

named 

Federal control status Number of Number of Percent of men tions Percent mentions Percent alt drug in distribution in distribution mentions 

thousands thousands 

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 679,593 100.0 448,707 100.0 66.0 

Controlled by DEAD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58,550 8.6 40,076 8.9 68.4 

Schedule 11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,763 0.8 1,984 0.4 34.4 

Schedule ill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12,037 1.8 6,750 1.5 56.1 

Schedule IV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30,305 4.5 22,228 5.0 73.3 

Schedule V . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10,445 1.5 9,114 2.0 87.3 

Uncontrolled . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 588,022 86.5 408,631 91.1 69.5 

Unknown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33,021 4.9 . . . . . . . . . 

IDrug Enforcement Administration. 

Table5. Number andpercent distribution ofalldrug mentions, andnum&r, percent distribution, andpercent ofalldrug mentions of the200 drug 

most frequently named, by composition status: United States, 1980 

All drugs 200 drugs most frequently 

named 

Composition status Numberof Numberof Percent of 

mentions 

in 

Percent 

distribution 

mentions Percent all drug in distribution mentions 

thousands thousands. 

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 679,593. 100.0 44.8,707 “100.0 66.0 

Single-ingredient drug . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 468,752 69.0 348,294 77.6 74.3 

Combination drug . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165,798 24.4 96,840 21.6 58.4 

Multivitamins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13,500 2,0 3,573 0.8 26.5 

Unknown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31,542 4.6 . . . . . . . . . 
8 

Table6. Number andpercent distribution ofalldrug mentions, andnumber, percent distribution, andpercent ofalldrug mentions of the200 drug 

most frequently named, by therapeutic category: United States, 1980 

All drugs 200 drugs most frequently 

named 

Therapeutic category 1 Number of 

mentions Percent 

in distribution 

thousands 

Number of Parcent of mentions Percent all drug in distribution mentions thousands 

All categories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 679,593 100.0 448,707 100.0 66.0 

Antihistamine drugs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43,939 6.6 26,269 5.9 59.8 

Anti-infective agents (nontopical) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104,898 15.4 84,046 18.7 80.1 

Antibiotics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90,081 13.3 75,526 16.8 83.8 

Antineoplastic agents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,371 0.8 3,683 0.8 68.6 

. Autonomicdrugs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25,237 3.7 13,653 3.0 54.1 

Bloodformation andcoagulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8,312 1.2 2,840 0.7 35.4 

Cardiovasculardrugs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64,463 9.5 52,010 11.6 80.7 

Cardiacdrugs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26,331 3.9 24,397 5.4 92.7 

Hypotensiveagents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22.633 3.3 15,848 3.5 70.0 

Vasodilatingagents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14;646 2.2 11,765 2.6 80.3 

Central nervoussystemdrugs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110,706 16.3 80,271 17.9 72.5 

Analgesics andantipyretics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57,800 8.5 47,408 10.6 82.0 

Psychotherapeuticagents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16,395 2.4 9,195 2.0 56.1 

Sedativesand hypnotics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25,036 3.7 19,671 4.4 78.6 

Diagnoaticagents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,673 0.7 4,488 1.0 96.0 

Electrolytic,caloric, and water balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51,956 7.6 43,186 9.6 83.1 

Diuretics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42,834 6.3 39,074 8.7 91.2 

Expectorantsand coughpreparations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18,899 2.8 8,881 2.0 47.0 

Eye,ear, nose,and throat preparations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26,076 3.8 10,798 2.4 41.4 

Gastrointestinal drugs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24,140 3.6 15,029 3.3 62.3 

Hormonesandsynthetics ubstances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55,843 8.2 41,781 9.3 74.8 

Adrenals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18,312 2.7 15,425 3.4 84.2 

Serums, toxoids,andvaccines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23,711 3.5 18,747 4.2 79.1 

Skin and mucous membrane preparations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55,188 8.1 25,783 5.7 46.7 

Spasmolyticagents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11,541 1.7 4,494 1.0 38.9 

Vitamins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24,244 3.6 9,386 2.1 38.7 

Otheragents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10,378 1.5 3,262 0.7 31.4 

Undetermined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10,017 1.5 

lBa~edon thepharmacologic-therapeuticclassification of tha Amarican Society of Hospital Pharmacists. 

brand name orby generic name. (Note: NAMCSrespondents were instructed to use the same entry 

statuson the NAMCSvisit record (figure l) that they 

used on the patient’s medical record and/oron any 

prescription written.) 

Extensive discussion has occurred during thepast 

decade about the costs and merits of prescribingby 

brand name versus the usually less costly generic 

name. Since 1970, the generic drug business has 

grown faster than the total pharmaceutical market. 

To cite one study: “While the market expandedby 

10 percent from 1977 to 1979,genericsgrew by12.6 

percent during that period. By 1979, 14percent ofall 

new prescriptions written by physicians were for 

generic drugs, up from 7 percentin 1970.”2 

It should be emphasized that the extent of 

generic utilization revealed by the NAMCS data in 

table 2 (24 percent of all drugs mentioned-29 percent of the leading 200) reflects the total utilization 

of generic drugs in office-based practice. Thus along 

with the generic prescriptions-new ones or refills– 

2Mayer, C. E.: Drug industry war heatsup over generics. Washington 

Post, Dec. 20,1981. pp K1-2. 

that the doctor intended to be filled by a dispensing 

pharmacist, the NAMCS generic fraction includes 

such other agents as: nonprescription generics (e.g., 

ASPIRIN or INSULIN); most serums, toxoids and 

vaccines (e.g., DIPHTHERIA TETANUS TOXOID 

PERTUSSIS); most diagnostic agents (e.g., TUBERCULIN); and a substantial number of other agents– 

chiefly antibiotic-injectibles-administered in the doctor’s office. —. Prescription stat;;.-e ‘d=a- in tare 3 characterize the drug mentions by their Federal legal classification. These data reveal whether the doctor recorded a prescription (Rx) drug or a nonprescription 

(over-the-counter or OTC) drug. The choice of a prescription drug by a prescribing physician indicates 

relatively more judgmental control by the physician 

than does the choice of a nonprescription drug, which 

represents a greater reliance on self-care by the 

patient. Also, OTC drugs are usually less expensive 

than their Rx counterparts. (However, except for 

INSULIN, they are not usually covered as an insured 

benefit in third-party programs.) Thus it is interesting 

to learn from table 3 that at least 13 percent of all 

drug mentions were nonprescription drugs. 
� 

� 

� 

� 

ackxdaa9 

Federal control status. -A very important issue in 

health and social policy is the use of medications 

having significant potential for addiction or habituation. Such medications are under the regulatory control of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), 

an agency of the U.S. Department of Justice. In 

table 4 the medications used in office-based practice 

are characterized by their DEA control level 

(“schedule”). Each successive Schedule, from II 

through V, reflects a decreasing potential for abuse, 

as follows: 

Schedule II (MORPHINE, DEMEROL, AMPHETAMINES) High potential for abuse. Abuse may 

lead to severe psychological or physical dependence. 

Schedule III (FIORINAL, PHENDIMETRAZINE, 

etc.) Potential for abuse less than for drugs in 

Schedule II. Abuse may lead to moderate or low 

physical dependence or high psychological dependence. 

Schedule IV (VALIUM, PHENOBARBITAL, etc.) 

Potential for abuse less than for drugs in Schedule 

III. Abuse may lead to limited physical or.psychoIogical dependence. 

Schedule V (LOMOTIL, CHERACOL SYRUP, 

etc.) Potential for abuse and dependence less than 

for drugs in Schedule IV. 

NAMCS data in table 4 reveal that a small but critical 

proportion (9 percent) of all drug mentions were controlled drugs, of which drugs in Schedule IV enjoyed 

the highest frequency of mention. 

Composition status. –Table 5 reveals that about 

26 percent of all drug mentions were combination 

drugs. An issue of long-standing debate in drug 

utilization concerns the use of drugs in fixed-ratio 

combinations as opposed to single-ingredient drugs. 

Combination drugs usualIy cost more and offer less 

flexibility in dosage adjustment; however, they offer 

more potential convenience to the patient. The 

NAMCS data base permits differentiating singleingredient drugs from combination drugs and can 

identify the specific ingredients of the combinations 

if this information is required. 

Therapeutic category. –Table 6 characterizes the 

1980 drug mentions by the chief therapeutic effect 

that each was intended to produce. An obvious preeminence is enjoyed by two therapeutic categories, 

nontropical anti-infectives and central nervous system 

drugs, which together accounted for 32 percent of all 

drug mentions. The preeminence was even stronger 

(37 percent) among the leading 200. 

Inquiries about the NAMCS drug data base or its 

1980 findings may be addressed to: 

Hugo Koch


Ambulatory Care Statistics Branch


Division of Health Care Statistics


National Center for Health Statistics


Center Bldg. 22 Room 24.3


Prince George Center


3700 EastWest Highway


Hyattsville, Maryland 20782


Phone: (30 1) 436-7132


Symbols 

. . . Data not available 

. . . Category not applicable 

Quantity zero 

0.0 Quantity more than zero but less than 

0.05 

z	 Quantity more than zero but less than 

500 where numbers are rounded to 

thousands 

* Figure does not meet standards of 

reliability or precision 
10 aduancedata 

Technical notes 

Source of data and sample design 

The estimates presented in this report are based 

on data collected during 1980 by the National Center 

for Health Statistics by means of the Survey 

(NAMCS). The target universe of NAMCS comprises 

office visits made by ambulatory patients to nonFederal physicians who are principally engaged in 

office-based, patient care practice. Visits to physicians practicing in Alaska and Hawaii are excluded 

from the range of NAMCS, as are visits to physicians 

who specialize in anesthesiology, pathology, and 

radiology. 

NAMCS uses a multistage probability sample design that involves a step-wise sampling of primary 

sampling units (PSU’S), physicians’ practices within 

PSU’S, and patient visits within physicians’ practices. 

For 1980 a sample of 2,959 physicians was selected 

from master files maintained by the American Medical Association and the American Osteopathic Association. The physician response rate was 77.2 percent. 

Sampled physicians were asked to complete Patient 

Records (figure 1) for a systematic random sample 

of office visits made during a randomly assigned 

weekly reporting period. Telephone contacts were 

excluded. During 1980, responding physicians com­ , pleted 46,081 Patient Records, on which they recorded 51,372 drug mentions. Characteristics of the 

physician’s practice, such as primary specialty and 

type of practice, were obtained during an induction 

interview. The National Opinion Research Center, 

under contract to the National Center for Health 

Statistics, was responsible for the survey’s field 

operations. 

For a more detailed discussion of the limitations, 

qualifications, and definitions of the data collected 

by NAMCS, see Vital and Health Statistics, Series 13, 

Number 44. 

Sampling errors and rounding of numbers 

The standard error is a measure of the sampling 

variability that occurs by chance because only a sample, rather than an entire universe, is surveyed. The 

relative standard error of the estimate is obtained by 

. dividing the standard error by the estimate itself and 

is expressed as a percent of the estimate. Tables I and 

II apply these measurements to drug mentions. 

Estimates have been rounded to the nearest thousand. For this reason detailed figures within tables do 

not always add to totals. Rates and percents were 

calculated from original, unrounded figures and will 

~, 

not necessarily agree precisely with rates or percents 

1 calculated from rounded data. 

Definitions 

An ambulatory patient is an individual seeking 

personal health services who is neither bedridden nor 

currently admitted to any health care institution on 

the premises. 

A physician eligible for NAMCS is a duly licensed 

doctor of medicine or osteopathy currently in officebased practice whose primary job is caring for ambulatory patients. Excluded from NAMCS are: physicians who are hospital based; physicians who specialize in anesthesiology, pathology, or radiology; 

physicians who are Federally employed; physicians 

who treat only institutionalized patients; physicians 

employed full time by an institution; and physicians 

who spend no time seeing ambulatory patients. 

An office is a place that the physician identifies 

as a location for his ambulatory practice. Responsibility over time for patient, care and professional services rendered there generally resides with the individual physician rather than an institution. 

A visit is a direct personal exchange between an 

ambulatory patient and a physician or a staff member 

working under the physician’s supervision, for the 

respective purpose of seeking care or rendering health 

services. 

A drug mention is the physician’s entry of a pharmaceutical agent ordered or provided for prevention, 

diagnosis, or treatment. Generic as well as brandname drugs are included, as are nonprescription as 

well as prescription drugs. Along with all new drugs, 

the physician also records continued medications, if 

the patient was specifically instructed during the visit 

to continue the medication. 

Table 1. Approximate relative standard errors of estimated number of 

drug mentions based on all physician specialties: National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, 1980 

Relative Estimated number of drug mentions 

standard in thousands error 

1,000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27.3 

2,000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19.7 

5,000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13.2 

10,000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10.1 

20,000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.2 

50,000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.8 

100,000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.2 

300,000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.8 

650,000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.8 

Example of use of table: An aggregate estimate of 175,000,000 drug 

mentions has a relative standard arror of 6.5 percent or a standard error 

of 4,875,000 mantions (6,5 percent of 75,000,000). 

& 
11


Table 11. Approximate standard errors of percent of estimated numbers of drug mentions based on all physician specialties: NAMCS, 1980 

Base of percent 

Estimated percent 

(number of drug mentions in thousands) 1 or 99 5 or 95 100r90 20 or 80 30 or 70 50 

Standard error in percentage points 

1,000.............................4....... 2.7 5.8 8.0 70.7 12.2 13.3 

2,000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.9 4.1 5.7 7.6 8.7 9.4 

5,000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.2 2.6 3.6 4.8 5.5 6.0 

20,000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.6 1.3 1.8 2.4 2.7 3.0 

100,000, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.3 0.6 0.8 1.1 1.2 1.3 

600,000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.5 

Example of use of teble: An estimate of 30 percent based on an aggregate of 12,500,000 drug mentionswes a standard error of 4.1 percent or e 

relative standard error of 13.7 percent (4.1 percent+ 30 percent). 
12


Recent Issues of Advance Data From Vital and Health Statistics 

No. 77. 1980 Summary: National Ambulatory Medical Care No. 74. Visits to Family Planning Clinics: United States, 1979 

Survey (Issued: February 22, 1982) (Issued: September 4, 1981) 

No. 76. Blood Carbon Monoxide Levels in Persons 3-74 Years No. 73. Patient Profile, National Reporting System for Family 

of Age: United States, 1976-80 (Issued: March 17, 1982 ) Planning Services: United States, 1978 (Issued: June 24, 

No. 75. Expected Principal Source of Payment for Hospital 1981) 

Discharge: United States, 1979 (Issued: February 16, 1982) 

. . 

SUGGESTED CITATION


National Center for Health Statistics, H. Koch: Drugs


most frequently used in office-based practicp: National


Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, 1980. Advance Data


From Vital and Health Statistics, No. 78, D H HS Pub. ,,


No. (PHS) 82-1250, Public Health Service, Hyattsville,


Md., May 12, 1982,


U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES POSTAGE AND FEES PAID


Public Health Service U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HHS


Office of Health Research, Statistics, and Technology HHS 396


National Center for Health Statistics


*

. 

3700 East-West Highway THIRD CLASS


Hyattsville, Meryland 20782 BULK RATE US.MAIL


OFFICIAL 

To 

PENALTY 

mntact 

Statistics 

receive 

the 

bv 

this

National

calling 

FOR 

BUSINESS 

publication

301.436-NCHS. 

PRIVATE 

Center

regularly, 

for Health 

USE, $300 

O

From the Office of Health Research, Statistics, and Technology 

DHHS Publication No. (PHS) 82-1250