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Over 60% of Americans are hooked on pharmaceutical drugs: These are the most commonly prescribed drugs and their most pervasive side effects

By ljdevon // 2025-04-24

America has become the most medicated society in history, with 60% of adults willingly swallowing Big Pharma’s chemical concoctions—often without full knowledge of their dangers. The U.S. healthcare system operates as a glorified drug cartel, pushing pills while concealing devastating side effects, dependency risks, and foreign supply-chain vulnerabilities. With China and India controlling 75% of drug imports—including life-saving medications—Americans are one geopolitical crisis away from mass withdrawal crises. The question isn’t just how this happened, but why the medical establishment continues to profit from human suffering. The medical system has failed to integrate nutrition, herbal medicine, and a host of integrative therapies that can health and improve the quality of life for millions. The following article lists the most commonly prescribed drugs and delves into their most pervasive side effects. Key Points:

• 60% of U.S. adults are on at least one prescription drug.
• 27% take four or more pharmaceuticals, exposing them to compounding side effects.
• Women use antidepressants at twice the rate of men—an alarming 17.7%.
• 75% of essential medicines are imported, with China and India controlling critical supply chains.
• ADHD drug prescriptions surged by 60% in a decade, masking normal childhood development as a “disorder.”

Chemical shackles: The top 10 most prescribed drugs—and their hidden dangers

The U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s 2019 data reveals the most pervasive pharmaceuticals—and their sinister side effects:

• Atorvastatin (Lipitor) – Cholesterol Side Effects: Muscle breakdown, liver damage, memory loss.

• Amoxicillin – Antibiotic Side Effects: Gut microbiome destruction, antibiotic resistance.

• Lisinopril – Blood Pressure Side Effects: Kidney failure, chronic cough, hyperkalemia.

• Levothyroxine – Thyroid Side Effects: Heart palpitations, osteoporosis, anxiety.
• Albuterol – Asthma Side Effects: Tremors, arrhythmias, worsened breathing.

• Metformin – Diabetes Side Effects: Lactic acidosis, vitamin B12 deficiency.

• Amlodipine – Blood Pressure Side Effects: Swelling, dizziness, heart failure.

• Metoprolol – Blood Pressure Side Effects: Fatigue, depression, sexual dysfunction.

• Omeprazole – Stomach Acid Side Effects: Bone fractures, kidney disease, nutrient malabsorption.

• Losartan – Blood Pressure

Side Effects: Liver toxicity, allergic reactions, carcinogenic impurities.

The pharma domino effect: One pill leads to another

Doctors seldom warn patients that prescriptions often create new symptoms, requiring more drugs. Statins cause muscle pain, leading to painkiller prescriptions. Antidepressants trigger weight gain, ushering in diabetes medications. This cycle isn’t medicine—it’s chemical enslavement. Side effects masked as new conditions

• Example: Statin (cholesterol drugs) → cause muscle pain & weakness → patient prescribed painkillers → which can lead to dependency or digestive issues.
• Example: Antidepressants (SSRIs) → induce weight gain → leading to diabetes or blood pressure meds → which then require additional drugs to manage.

Insulin dysregulation & metabolic mayhem

• Depakote (anticonvulsant), antipsychotics, and even antidepressants trigger extreme weight gain by disrupting leptin/ghrelin signals, forcing the body to store fat.
• Elevated insulin resistance from these drugs directly contributes to type 2 diabetes—ironically, while doctors prescribe them, they later prescribe metformin or insulin to treat the side effects they caused.

Stimulant dependency & burnout

• Adderall/Ritalin (ADHD meds) provide a short-term serotonin/dopamine boost but lead to neurotransmitter depletion, causing crashes.
• Users self-medicate with more stimulants, caffeine, or sugary carbs to offset fatigue, creating a cycle of addiction and metabolic dysfunction.

Foreign dependence: America’s drug supply hangs by a thread

China supplies 80% of active pharmaceutical ingredients for U.S. generics, including: diabetes medications, heart disease drugs, and antibiotics. Worse, many ingredients are tainted by Uyghur forced labor, yet FDA oversight is practically nonexistent. A single geopolitical rupture could trigger mass shortages, leaving millions in withdrawal, in desperate need for their fix—or worse. The pharmaceutical-industrial complex profits from perpetual sickness—not cures. If this trajectory continues, will future generations even recognize a healthy human being? Or will they only know a world where pills replace vitality, autonomy, and truth? Sources include: TheEconomicCollapseBlog.com VisualCapitalist.com Pubmed.gov NIH.gov

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