Types of Painkillers
Types Of Painkillers is a structured health & wellness dataset with 15 entries. Its fields include Drug Class, Examples, Mechanism. The source values are preserved as a structured reference table.
Every row is shown below and is also available as CSV, JSON, or Excel.
Dataset details
- Table scope
- All 15 rows
- Fields
- 6 columns
- Source
- Community curated
- Data updated
- Apr 9, 2026
Included fields: Drug Class, Examples, Mechanism, Best For, Key Risk, and 1 more.
The table contains every record in this dataset; the same records are available in each download format.
Preview observations
No reliable range or grouping can be calculated from the loaded rows without interpreting the source data.
Useful for
- Comparing Drug Class, Examples, and Mechanism across health & wellness entries
- Building reference tables, charts, or analyses from 15 downloadable records
Drug Class↕ | Examples↕ | Mechanism↕ | Best For↕ | Key Risk↕ | Known For↕ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
NSAIDs (non-selective) | Ibuprofen, naproxen, diclofenac, aspirin | COX-1/COX-2 inhibition, reduces prostaglandins | Inflammatory pain, musculoskeletal, period pain | GI bleeding, kidney damage, cardiovascular | Most widely used OTC painkillers globally, don't mask fever as well as acetaminophen |
COX-2 Selective NSAIDs | Celecoxib (Celebrex), etoricoxib | Selective COX-2 inhibition | Arthritis pain in GI-sensitive patients | Cardiovascular (Vioxx withdrawn in 2004) | Developed to spare the stomach, Vioxx scandal is largest drug withdrawal in history |
Acetaminophen (Paracetamol) | Tylenol, Panadol | Central COX inhibition (partially understood) | Mild pain, fever, safe in pregnancy | Liver toxicity in overdose | World's most used drug, overdose is leading cause of acute liver failure in the West |
Weak Opioids | Codeine, tramadol, dihydrocodeine | Mu receptor agonist (weak) plus other effects | Moderate pain after OTC fails | Addiction, respiratory depression, serotonin syndrome (tramadol) | Codeine metabolism varies genetically, tramadol has bizarre pharmacology beyond opioids |
Strong Opioids | Morphine, oxycodone, hydromorphone, fentanyl | Mu opioid receptor agonist | Severe acute or cancer pain | Addiction, overdose, constipation, tolerance | Gold standard for severe pain, center of the opioid crisis, fentanyl 100x stronger than morphine |
Gabapentinoids | Gabapentin, pregabalin (Lyrica) | Alpha-2-delta calcium channel subunit binding | Neuropathic pain, fibromyalgia, postherpetic neuralgia | Sedation, dependence, dizziness | Originally antiepileptics, now massively prescribed off-label, emerging abuse concerns |
Tricyclic Antidepressants | Amitriptyline, nortriptyline | Serotonin/norepinephrine reuptake inhibition | Chronic nerve pain, chronic headache | Cardiac toxicity in overdose, anticholinergic effects | Low doses used for pain (much less than depression doses), helps sleep |
SNRIs for pain | Duloxetine (Cymbalta), venlafaxine | Serotonin/norepinephrine reuptake inhibition | Diabetic neuropathy, fibromyalgia, chronic back pain | Discontinuation syndrome, nausea, sexual side effects | Duloxetine is FDA approved for multiple chronic pain conditions |
Local Anesthetics | Lidocaine, bupivacaine, ropivacaine | Sodium channel blockade in nerve fibers | Procedural pain, nerve blocks, postoperative | Systemic toxicity (LAST), cardiac arrest | Basis of dental injections, epidurals, regional anesthesia |
Topical Capsaicin | Capsaicin cream, Qutenza patch | TRPV1 receptor desensitization | Localized neuropathic pain, arthritis | Burning sensation on application | Derived from chili peppers, depletes substance P in nerve endings |
Cannabinoids | Medical cannabis, nabiximols (Sativex) | CB1/CB2 receptor modulation | MS spasticity, cancer pain, neuropathic pain | Cognitive effects, legal issues, dependence | Increasingly accepted, strongest evidence in spasticity and chemo-induced nausea, not a magic bullet |
Ketamine (low-dose) | IV ketamine, intranasal | NMDA receptor antagonist | Refractory chronic pain, acute severe pain | Dissociation, bladder toxicity with chronic use | Originally an anesthetic, now used for depression and chronic pain in specialty clinics |
Corticosteroids | Prednisone, dexamethasone, triamcinolone | Anti-inflammatory via gene regulation | Inflammatory flares, joint injection | Long-term: diabetes, osteoporosis, immunosuppression | Not true analgesics but reduce pain via inflammation, cortisone shots for joints |
Muscle Relaxants | Cyclobenzaprine, baclofen, tizanidine | Central CNS depression or GABA-B agonism | Acute muscle spasm, spasticity | Sedation, dependence | Used for low back spasms, baclofen for MS, not as strong as advertised |
Triptans | Sumatriptan, rizatriptan | 5-HT1B/1D receptor agonism | Acute migraine attacks | Vasoconstriction, cardiac events in at-risk patients | Game-changer for migraine when introduced in 1990s, abort migraines rather than prevent them |
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Frequently asked questions
How is Types of Painkillers organized?
The table starts in the source data's default order. You can sort and filter the loaded rows by the displayed fields.
How much data is available on this page?
This dataset contains 15 entries, and every row is available in the table and in the downloadable files.
Can I download the complete dataset?
Yes. CSV, JSON, and Excel downloads contain all 15 rows. Before republishing the data, review the source and any usage terms listed on this page; dtbse does not replace the original source's licensing terms.
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