Because of an aging population, more and more Americans and people around the world are taking prescription drugs to alleviate their pain and help them recover from illness and injury. Many of the most popular drugs are powerful substances that can be dangerous or abused. Federal law prohibits many of these popular drugs from being dispensed without a written order or refill issued by a medical professional. Pharmacies are the retail stores licensed to dispense medicine upon a doctor’s prescription.

According to a study released last year by NDC Pharmaceutical, generic Hydrocodone was the most popular drug by number of prescriptions dispensed in the US during the 2004 year.

The second most prescribed drug, Pfizer’s Lipitor, was the most popular branded drug according to the study. The drug is approved for use to help lower one’s cholesterol and thereby help prevent cardiovascular and heart disease.

According to reports, diazepam, marketed under the brand-name Valium, was the most prescribed drug is the US during the 1970s, until critics claimed it was in overuse and switched to different drugs to replace their need to treat patients with substances.