Table 1.
The 10 most prescribed antidepressant and cardiovascular medicines in England 2015–2019.
| Antidepressant | Drug Class | Total items prescribed | Total cost (£) |
| Citalopram | SSRI | 71,177,723 | 88,775,221 |
| Amitriptyline | TCA | 65,908,492 | 122,208,111 |
| Sertraline | SSRI | 64,619,046 | 92,896,634 |
| Mirtazapine | Other | 40,722,592 | 68,983,897 |
| Fluoxetine | SSRI | 32,928,229 | 63,428,155 |
| Venlafaxine | SNRI | 20,513,043 | 181,241,748 |
| Duloxetine | SNRI | 10,281,654 | 91,508,884 |
| Paroxetine | SSRI | 6,929,370 | 25,822,303 |
| Trazodone | Other | 5,588,382 | 107,441,782 |
| Escitalopram | SSRI | 5,219,690 | 12,928,482 |
| Atorvastatin | Lipid regulating drug | 184,496,120 | 269,222,364 |
| Ramipril | ACE inhibitor | 140,035,650 | 210,994,193 |
| Amlodipine | Calcium channel blocker | 139,431,269 | 184,955,330 |
| Simvastatin | Lipid regulating drug | 138,347,044 | 154,214,122 |
| Aspirin | Antiplatelet (COX 1 inhibitor) | 124,613,771 | 102,131,695 |
| Bisoprolol fumarate | β blocker | 111,419,052 | 107,395,429 |
| Furosemide | Loop diuretic | 60,773,842 | 72,411,390 |
| Bendroflumethiazide | Thiazide diuretic | 55,706,038 | 47,572,919 |
| Losartan potassium | Angiotensin receptor blocker | 47,220,853 | 118,916,648 |
| Warfarin sodium | Anticoagulant | 47,213,118 | 73,855,343 |
Antidepressants are listed in the top half and cardiovascular medicines in the bottom half of the table. All medicines are ranked in descending order according to the number of items prescribed. The drug class was obtained from the summary of product characteristics for the relevant medicine. ACE (angiotensin converting enzyme), COX-1 (cyclooxygenase 1), SSRI (Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor), SNRI (serotonin noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor), TCA (Tricyclic antidepressant).