Analgesics

Paracetamol, or acetaminophen, is an analgesic and antipyretic agent used to treat fever and mild to moderate pain. It is a widely available over-the-counter drug sold generically or under various brand names, including Tylenol and Panadol.

Morphine, formerly known as morphium, is an opiate found naturally in opium, a dark brown resin produced by drying the latex of opium poppies (Papaver somniferum). It is mainly used as an analgesic (pain medication). There are multiple methods used to administer morphine: oral; sublingual; via inhalation; injection into a muscle, injection under the skin, or injection into the spinal cord area; transdermal; intravenously; or via rectal suppository. It acts directly on the central nervous system (CNS) to induce analgesia and alter perception and emotional response to pain. Physical and psycholo

Oxytocin is a peptide hormone and neuropeptide normally produced in the hypothalamus and released by the posterior pituitary. Present in animals since early stages of evolution, in humans it plays roles in behavior that include social bonding, love, reproduction, childbirth, and the period after childbirth. Oxytocin is released into the bloodstream as a hormone in response to sexual activity and during childbirth. It is also available in pharmaceutical form. In either form, oxytocin stimulates uterine contractions to speed up the process of childbirth.

An analgesic drug, also called simply an analgesic, antalgic, pain reliever, or painkiller, is any member of the group of drugs used for pain management. Analgesics are conceptually distinct from anesthetics, which temporarily reduce, and in some instances eliminate, sensation, although analgesia and anesthesia are neurophysiologically overlapping and thus various drugs have both analgesic and anesthetic effects.

Ketamine is a cyclohexanone-derived general anesthetic and NMDA receptor antagonist with analgesic and hallucinogenic properties, used medically for anesthesia, depression, and pain management. Ketamine exists as its two enantiomers, S- (esketamine) and R- (arketamine), and has antidepressant action likely involving other mechanisms in addition to NMDA antagonism.

class=skin-invert-image|thumb|Chemical structure of met-enkephalin

Fentanyl is a highly potent synthetic opioid of the piperidine family, used primarily as pain medication. It is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine. Its primary clinical use is in pain management for cancer patients and those recovering from surgery. Fentanyl is also used as a sedative for intubated patients. Fentanyl has a short duration of action. Fentanyl works by activating μ-opioid receptors. Brand names include Actiq, Duragesic, and Sublimaze, among others.

Menthol is a monoterpenoid organic compound that occurs naturally in the oils of certain plants in the mint family, such as corn mint and peppermint. It is a white or clear waxy crystalline substance that is solid at room temperature and melts slightly above. The main form of menthol occurring in nature is (−)-menthol, which is assigned the (1R,2S,5R) configuration.

Cannabidiol (CBD) is a phytocannabinoid, one of 113 identified cannabinoids in Cannabis, along with tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), and accounts for up to 40% of the plant's extract. Medically, it is an anticonvulsant used to treat two rare forms of childhood epilepsy. It was discovered in 1940. Clinical research on CBD has included studies related to the treatment of anxiety, addiction, psychosis, movement disorders, and pain, but there is insufficient high-quality evidence that CBD is effective for these conditions. CBD is sold as a herbal dietary supplement and promoted with unproven claims of

Tramadol, sold under the brand name Tramal among others, is an opioid pain medication and a serotonin–norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) used to treat moderate to severe pain. When taken by mouth in an immediate-release formulation, the onset of pain relief usually begins within an hour. It is also available by injection. It is available in combination with paracetamol (acetaminophen).

Pethidine, also known as meperidine and sold under the brand name Demerol among others, is a fully synthetic opioid pain medication of the phenylpiperidine class. Synthesized in 1938 as a potential anticholinergic agent by the German chemist Otto Eisleb, its analgesic properties were first recognized by Otto Schaumann while working for IG Farben, in Germany. Pethidine is the prototype of a large family of analgesics including the pethidine 4-phenylpiperidines (e.g., piminodine, anileridine), the prodines (e.g., alphaprodine, MPPP), bemidones (e.g., ketobemidone), and others more distant, inclu

Tetrodotoxin (TTX) is a potent neurotoxin. Its name derives from Tetraodontiformes, an order that includes pufferfish, porcupinefish, ocean sunfish, and triggerfish; several of these species carry the toxin. Although tetrodotoxin was discovered in these fish, it is found in several other animals (e.g., in blue-ringed octopuses, rough-skinned newts, and moon snails). It is also produced by certain infectious or symbiotic bacteria like Pseudoalteromonas, Pseudomonas, and Vibrio as well as other species found in symbiotic relationships with animals and plants.

Pregabalin, sold under the brand names Axalid and Lyrica among others, is an anticonvulsant, analgesic, and anxiolytic amino acid medication used to treat epilepsy, neuropathic pain, fibromyalgia, restless legs syndrome, opioid withdrawal, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), and postherpetic neuralgia (a type of nerve damage that can result from shingles). Pregabalin also has antiallodynic properties. Its use in epilepsy is as an add-on therapy for partial seizures. When used before surgery, it reduces pain but results in greater sedation and visual disturbances. It is taken by mouth.

Gabapentin, sold under the brand name Neurontin among others, is an anticonvulsant medication used to treat neuropathic pain (postherpetic neuralgia) and partial seizures of epilepsy. Gabapentin is a central nervous system (CNS) depressant and derivative of the inhibitory neurotransmitter, GABA. It is used for the treatment of neuropathic pain caused by diabetic neuropathy, postherpetic neuralgia, and central pain. It is moderately effective: about 30–40% of those given gabapentin for diabetic neuropathy or postherpetic neuralgia have a meaningful benefit.

thumb|Oral solution bottle of dypirone in its packaging (Portuguese lettering) Metamizole or dipyrone (informally known as the "Mexican aspirin") is a painkiller, spasm reliever, and fever reliever drug. It is most commonly given by mouth or by intravenous infusion. It belongs to the ampyrone sulfonate family of medicines and was patented in 1922. Metamizole is marketed under various trade names. It was first used medically in Germany under the brand name "Novalgin", later becoming widely known in Slavic nations and India under the name "Analgin".

Phenacetin (; acetophenetidin, '''N-(4-ethoxyphenyl)acetamide''') is a pain-relieving and fever-reducing drug, which was widely used following its introduction in 1887. It was withdrawn from medicinal use as dangerous from the 1970s (e.g., withdrawn in Canada in 1973, and by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1983).

Electrotherapy is the use of electrical energy as a medical treatment. In medicine, the term electrotherapy can apply to a variety of treatments, including the use of electrical devices such as deep brain stimulators for neurological disease. Electrotherapy is a part of neurotherapy aimed at changing the neuronal activity. The term has also been applied specifically to the use of electric current to speed up wound healing. The use of electromagnetic stimulation or EMS is also very wide for dealing with muscular pain. Additionally, the term "electrotherapy" or "electromagnetic therapy" has also

Xylazine is a structural analog of clonidine and an α2-adrenergic receptor agonist, sold under many trade names worldwide, most notably the Bayer brand name Rompun, as well as Anased, Sedazine and Chanazine.

Methoxyflurane, sold under the brand name Penthrox (the "green whistle") among others, is an inhaled medication primarily used to reduce pain following an injury. It may also be used to reduce pain associated with minor medical procedures. Onset of pain relief is rapid and a standard dose typically lasts for up to 30 minutes. Use is only recommended with direct medical supervision.

Levomepromazine, also known as methotrimeprazine, is a phenothiazine neuroleptic drug. Brand names include Nozinan, Levoprome, Detenler, Hirnamin, Levotomin and Neurocil. It is a low-potency antipsychotic (approximately half as potent as chlorpromazine) with strong analgesic, hypnotic and antiemetic properties that are primarily used in palliative care.

Resiniferatoxin (RTX) is a naturally occurring chemical found in resin spurge (Euphorbia resinifera), a cactus-like plant commonly found in Morocco, and in Euphorbia poissonii found in northern Nigeria. It is a potent functional analog of capsaicin, the active ingredient in chili peppers.

Nabilone, sold under the brand name Cesamet among others, is a synthetic cannabinoid with therapeutic use as an antiemetic and as an adjunct analgesic for neuropathic pain. It mimics tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the primary psychoactive compound found naturally occurring in Cannabis.

Mexiletine (INN; sold under the brand names Mexitil and Namuscla) is a medication used to treat abnormal heart rhythms, chronic pain, and some causes of muscle stiffness. Common side effects include abdominal pain, chest discomfort, drowsiness, headache, and nausea. It works as a non-selective voltage-gated sodium channel blocker and belongs to the Class IB group of anti-arrhythmic medications.

Phenazopyridine is a medication which, when excreted by the kidneys into the urine, has a local analgesic effect on the urinary tract. It is often used to help with the pain, irritation, or urgency caused by urinary tract infections, surgery, or injury to the urinary tract.

Butorphanol is a morphinan-type synthetic agonist–antagonist opioid analgesic developed by Bristol-Myers. Butorphanol is most closely structurally related to levorphanol. Butorphanol is available as the tartrate salt in injectable, tablet, and intranasal spray formulations. The tablet form is only used in dogs, cats and horses due to low bioavailability in humans.

Salicylamide ('''o-hydroxybenzamide or amide of salicyl''') is a non-prescription drug with analgesic and antipyretic properties. Its medicinal uses are similar to those of aspirin. Salicylamide is used in combination with both aspirin and caffeine in the over-the-counter pain remedy PainAid. It was also an ingredient in the over-the-counter pain remedy BC Powder but was removed from the formulation in 2009, and Excedrin used the ingredient from 1960 to 1980 in conjunction with aspirin, acetaminophen, and caffeine. It was used in later formulations of Vincent's powders in Australia as a substi

Phenibut, sold under the brand name Anvifen among others, is a central nervous system (CNS) depressant with anxiolytic effects, and is used to treat anxiety, insomnia, and for a variety of other indications. It is usually taken orally (swallowed by mouth), but may be given intravenously.

Nalbuphine, sold under the brand names Nubain among others, is an opioid analgesic which is used in the treatment of pain. It is given by injection into a vein, muscle, or fat.

thumb|Saridon (Combination drug with Propyphenazone) from Hoffmann-La Roche|Hoffman-La Roche, ca. 1950/60 Propyphenazone (known as isopropylantipyrine in Japan) is a derivative of phenazone with similar analgesic and antipyretic effects. Originally patented in 1931, propyphenazone is marketed as a combination formulation with paracetamol and caffeine for treatment of primary headache disorder.

medical treatment in addition to a primary treatment to maximise effectiveness

Etorphine (M99) is a semi-synthetic opioid possessing an analgesic potency approximately 1,000–3,000 times that of morphine. It was first prepared in 1960 from oripavine, which does not generally occur in opium poppy extract but rather the related plants Papaver orientale and Papaver bracteatum. It was reproduced in 1963 by a research group at MacFarlan Smith in Edinburgh, led by Kenneth Bentley. It can be produced from thebaine.

Dexmedetomidine, sold under the brand name Precedex among others, is a medication used for sedation. Veterinarians use dexmedetomidine for similar purposes in treating cats, dogs, and horses. It is also used in humans to treat acute agitation associated with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. It is administered as an intravenous solution or as a buccal or sublingual film.

Ziconotide, sold under the brand name Prialt, also called intrathecal ziconotide (ITZ) because of its administration route, is an atypical analgesic agent for the amelioration of severe and chronic pain. Derived from Conus magus, a cone snail, it is the synthetic form of an ω-conotoxin peptide.

Anileridine (trade name: Leritine) is a synthetic analgesic drug and is a member of the piperidine class of analgesic agents developed by Merck & Co. in the 1950s. It differs from pethidine (meperidine) in that the N-methyl group of meperidine is replaced by an N-aminophenethyl group, which increases its analgesic activity.

Epibatidine is a chlorinated alkaloid that is secreted by the Ecuadorian frog Epipedobates anthonyi and poison dart frogs from the genus Ameerega. It was discovered by John W. Daly in 1974, but its structure was not fully elucidated until 1992. Whether epibatidine occurs naturally remains controversial due to challenges in conclusively identifying the compound from the limited samples collected by Daly. By the time that high-resolution spectrometry was used in 1991, there remained less than one milligram of extract from Daly's samples, raising concerns about possible contamination. Samples fro

Nefopam, sold under the brand name Acupan among others, is a centrally acting, non-opioid analgesic medication, with stimulant and sympathomimetic properties that is primarily used to treat moderate to severe pain.

Benorilate (INN), or benorylate, is an ester-linked codrug of aspirin with paracetamol. It is used as an anti-inflammatory and antipyretic medication. In the treatment of childhood fever, it has been shown to be inferior to paracetamol and aspirin taken separately. In addition, because it is converted to aspirin, benorylate is not recommended in children due to concerns about Reye syndrome.

Suzetrigine, sold under the brand name Journavx, is an oral medication used for moderate to severe acute pain management in adults. It is a small-molecule non-opioid analgesic that works as a selective inhibitor of Nav1.8-dependent pain-signaling pathways in the peripheral nervous system. Nav1.8 channels are predominantly present in peripheral nociceptive neurons of the dorsal root ganglia. Suzetrigine inhibits pain signals before they reach the central nervous system and has no addictive potential.

Isovaline is a rare amino acid found in the Murchison meteorite, which landed in Australia in 1969. The discovery of isovaline in the biosphere demonstrates an extraterrestrial origin of amino acids and has been linked to the homochirality of life on Earth, suggesting a role in the origin of life.

Ketobemidone, sold under the brand name Ketogan (a mixture of ketobemidone and Spasmolytic A29) among others, is a powerful synthetic opioid painkiller. Its effectiveness against pain is in the same range as morphine, and it also has some NMDA-antagonist properties imparted, in part, by its metabolite norketobemidone. This may make it useful for some types of pain that do not respond well to other opioids. It is marketed in Denmark, Iceland, Norway. Until 2024 it was available in, but is now withdrawn in Sweden. It is used for severe pain.

Tylenol is a brand of medication, advertised for reducing pain, reducing fever, and relieving the symptoms of allergies, cold, cough, headache, and influenza. An active ingredient in these medications is acetaminophen (paracetamol), an analgesic and antipyretic, although other ingredients with significant effects (such as codeine, caffeine or diphenhydramine) are included in some variants. Like the generic names paracetamol and acetaminophen, the brand name Tylenol is derived from a chemical name for the compound, N-acetyl-para-aminophenol.

species of plant

Opiorphin is an endogenous chemical compound first isolated from human saliva. Initial research with mice shows the compound has a painkilling effect greater than that of morphine. It works by stopping the normal breakup of enkephalins, natural pain-killing opioids in the spinal cord. It is a relatively simple molecule consisting of a five-amino acid polypeptide, Gln-Arg-Phe-Ser-Arg (QRFSR).

Dosulepin, also known as dothiepin and sold under the brand name Prothiaden among others, is a tricyclic antidepressant (TCA) which is used in the treatment of depression. Dosulepin was once the most frequently prescribed antidepressant in the United Kingdom, but it is no longer widely used due to its relatively high toxicity in overdose without therapeutic advantages over other TCAs. It acts as a serotonin–norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) and also has other activities including antihistamine, antiadrenergic, antiserotonergic, anticholinergic, and sodium channel-blocking effects.

Dipipanone, sold under the brand names of Pipadone and Diconal is a strong opioid analgesic drug, used for acute pain by mouth (PO) for adults. It is often used in instances where morphine is indicated but cannot be used due to the patient being allergic to morphine. In analgesic potency 25 mg dipipanone is approximately equivalent to 10 mg morphine.

Acetyldihydrocodeine is an opiate derivative discovered in Germany in 1914 and was used as a cough suppressant and analgesic. It is not commonly used, but has activity similar to other opiates. Acetyldihydrocodeine is a very close relative derivative of thebacon, where only the 6-7 bond is unsaturated. Acetyldihydrocodeine can be described as the 6-acetyl derivative of dihydrocodeine and is metabolised in the liver by demethylation and deacetylation to produce dihydromorphine.

Oliceridine, sold under the brand name Olinvyk, is an opioid medication that is used for the treatment of moderate to severe acute pain in adults. It is given by intravenous (IV) injection.

Alphacetylmethadol (INN), or α-acetylmethadol (AAM), is a synthetic opioid analgesic. Its levorotary enantiomer, levacetylmethadol, is an FDA-approved treatment for opioid addiction; however as of 2003 it is no longer used in the United States for this purpose. Alphacetylmethadol is very similar in structure to methadone, a widely prescribed treatment for opioid addiction. In the United States, it is a Schedule I controlled substance under the Controlled Substances Act (presumably because it was never marketed in the US, as is the case with other common opiate/opioid medications such as heroin

Aspirin/paracetamol/caffeine, sold under brand names including Excedrin and Anadin Extra, is a combination drug for the treatment of pain, especially tension headache and migraine. It contains aspirin, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug; paracetamol (acetaminophen), an analgesic; and caffeine, a stimulant.

species of plant

300px|thumb|right|The general structure of the kavalactones, without the R1-R2 -O-CH2-O- bridge and with all possible C=C double bonds shown. Kavalactones are a class of lactone compounds found in kava roots and Alpinia zerumbet (shell ginger) and in several Gymnopilus, Phellinus and Inonotus fungi. Some kavalactones are bioactive. They are responsible for the psychoactive, analgesic, euphoric and sedative effects of kava.

Bucetin (INN, BAN) is an analgesic and antipyretic that is no longer marketed. Chemically, it is similar to phenacetin with which it shares the risk of carcinogenesis. Bucetin was withdrawn from use in 1986 due to renal toxicity.

Lactucarium is the milky fluid secreted by several species of lettuce, especially Lactuca virosa, usually from the base of the stems. It is known as lettuce opium because of its sedative and analgesic properties. It has also been reported to promote a mild sensation of euphoria. Because it is a latex, lactucarium physically resembles opium, in that it is excreted as a white fluid and can be reduced to a thick smokable solid.

Dimethylheptylpyran (DMHP) is a synthetic cannabinoid and analogue of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). It was invented in 1949 during attempts to elucidate the structure of Δ9-THC, one of the active components of cannabis. DMHP is a pale yellow, viscous oil which is insoluble in water but dissolves in alcohol or non-polar solvents.

chemical compound

Normethadone (INN, BAN; brand names Ticarda, Cophylac, Dacartil, Eucopon, Mepidon, Noramidone, Normedon, and others), also known as desmethylmethadone or phenyldimazone, is a synthetic opioid analgesic and antitussive agent. Normethadone is listed under the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs 1961 and is a Schedule I Narcotic controlled substance in the United States, with a DEA ACSCN of 9635 and an annual manufacturing quota of 2 grams. The salts in use are the hydrobromide (free base conversion ratio 0.785), hydrochloride (0.890), methyliodide (0.675), oxalate (0.766), picrate (0.563), and t

active ingredient in alcoholic beverages

Adrenorphin, also sometimes referred to as metorphamide, is an endogenous, C-terminally amidated, opioid octapeptide (Tyr-Gly-Gly-Phe-Met-Arg-Arg-Val-NH2, YGGFMRRV-NH2) that is produced from proteolytic cleavage of proenkephalin A and is widely distributed throughout the mammalian brain. It was named based on the fact that it was originally detected in human phaeochromocytoma tumour derived from the adrenal medulla, and was subsequently found in normal human and bovine adrenal medulla as well. Adrenorphin exhibits potent opioid activity, acting as a balanced μ- and κ-opioid receptor agonist wh

Acetaminosalol is an organic compound with the chemical formula C15H13NO4.