Analgesics, mostly known as painkillers, are medicines used to relieve pain. Analgesic medicines provide relief from pain, bringing no change in your neural and conscious activities or putting you to sleep. 

These medications can numb different types of pain, ranging from headaches to arthritis and minor to moderate injuries.

Experts have put all those analgesics together that have similar pain-relieving properties or work similarly. One of the most common groups is NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs). 

Anyway, here are five more, and all different target kinds of pain. Some pain relievers can be bought without prescriptions, while others require them.

• NSAIDs are used to treat minor to moderate pain, inflammation, and fever.
• Opioid analgesics are the most potent painkillers, often used for severe pain relief.
• Salicylates, like aspirin, help reduce pain and inflammation and prevent blood clotting.
• Cox-2 inhibitors target pain and inflammation while minimizing stomach ulcer risks.
• Miscellaneous analgesics, such as acetaminophen, are commonly used for fever and mild pain.
• Opioids can lead to side effects such as constipation, dizziness, and respiratory depression.
• Acetaminophen should be taken in moderation to avoid liver toxicity and other complications.

This article explains all five types of analgesics, their uses, their drugs, their side effects, and their considerations.

Analgesics kill pain, or discomfort related to disease, injury, or surgery. Not all pains are similar, so to deal with them, multiple types of analgesics work to provide relief by following different drug classifications. 

Here are five different classes of analgesics:

NSAIDs work against those substances that cause inflammation, discomfort, pain, and fever.

This is available OTC without a prescription. It is a flu analgesic that can treat mild-to-moderate pain, fever, body aches, and the common cold. It is also believed to be the best analgesic for toothache

It is used to treat Arthritis. However, it can also treat mild pain like headaches, backache, fever, and muscle pain.

It is suggested after surgery to relieve moderately severe pain and inflammation.

It treats the pain, stiffness, and inflammation experienced in osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

 It treats mild-to-moderate pain, muscle pain, and inflammation in arthritis. It is also prescribed after dental surgeries to lessen the pain.

It is used to decrease the pain and swelling in arthritis, gout, bursitis, and tendonitis.

NSAIDs treat minor to moderate pain, inflammation, and fever. Most NSAIDs work by producing prostaglandins — the chemicals that sensitize the nerve endings.

NSAIDs are used to treat mild-moderate headaches, menstrual pain, seasonal cold & flu, arthritis, and muscle sprains & strains.

Almost all NSAIDs risk stomach ulcer, indigestion, gastrointestinal bleeding, N/V/D, dizziness, and drowsiness.

Analgesic opioids, also known as narcotics, change the brain’s perception of pain. These are some of the most potent pain-killing medications.

 It treats severe pain with opioid tolerance. This drug helps in moderate-to-severe pain.

It is used when the pain is decreased by other medications.

 It is prescribed to patients to treat severe pain for a long time. It is used in combination with additional drugs. 

These treat ongoing severe pain. When no other pain medications work, Hydromorphone is prescribed. 

This drug treats severe pain for extended periods. It makes the patient drowsy. 

It is used to ease the withdrawal symptoms in addicts. It helps to quit heroin.

It helps treat moderately severe pain, typically after surgery. It is also prescribed to treat ongoing pain.

 It is prescribed for severe pain. It can make the patient dizzy.

Opioids are commonly used for moderate to severe pain. The pain can be acute and chronic as well. Other than that, opioids are used to lessen pain from bone fractures, tooth extractions, and surgery.

Opioid analgesics can cause dizziness, nausea, and vomiting. The user is also prone to constipation and respiratory depression. All these side effects most of the time to resolve after continued use. However, opioids can also lead to addiction.

Less common side effects of opioids include seizures, hallucinations, lower blood pressure, itching, impaired thinking, and urinary retention.

Salicylates are analgesics that are naturally present in plants and also derived from salicylic acid. Only a few salicylates can work to relieve pain by working similarly to NSAIDs.

 It helps in reducing fever, mild-to-moderate pain, body aches, and inflammation.

 It is prescribed to treat mild pain. It can also help with inflammation and muscle stiffness in less severe cases of arthritis. 

It is prescribed to relieve pain and inflammation in arthritis. 

Salicylates are not only pain-relievers but are also used as food preservatives and antiseptics.

Drugs like aspirin treat moderate pain, inflammation, headaches, cold & flu, toothaches, arthritis, and blood clotting.

Salicylates do work to give you relief from pain. But you can feel nausea or vomit after using it. Mild headaches and drowsiness are also one of their after-effects. GI bleeding or stomach pain is less common but can be severe side effects of using salicylates.

Cox-2 inhibitors are from the NSAIDs group and work to block COX-2 enzymes. COX-2 enzymes release prostaglandins after any injury or infection. They reduce the risk of GI ulceration and bleeding.

Celecoxib is an analgesic used for relieving pain and inflammation in osteoarthritis. Moreover, it is also prescribed to treat mild to moderate pain and migraines. 

Cox-2 inhibitors control moderate pain and inflammation. This drug is also used for rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis.

No drug comes without side effects, mainly if you use them more than once, and cox-2 inhibitors are no different.

Gas and bloating can be early side effects. You can also face the problem of sore throat and cold. Dizziness, constipation, and a less effective sense of taste are the most common after-effects of this analgesic formula.

Miscellaneous analgesics are considered unique as they work to tame the COX enzyme, but not like how NSAIDs do.

It treats pain in periods, sore throats, body aches, toothaches, and backaches. It can also treat fever. 

Miscellaneous analgesic drugs are used for fever and moderate pain. The pain can be a headache, muscle or joint strain, cold, fever, toothache, and menstrual pain.

You can feel nausea and mild pain in the stomach. Itching and rash can also occur. Clay-colored stools and dark urine are also the common side effects of using miscellaneous pain relievers.

While you can find analgesics in your local drugstore, you might have difficulty finding them with precise dosing instructions. Several types of analgesics vary in the amount of relief they provide, the length of comfort they provide, and the pain they treat. “Analgesics” refers to any medication used to relieve pain. 

They can be divided into five categories: nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), opioid analgesics, COX-2 inhibitors, and muscle relaxants. They have a limited number of side effects and work quickly, but they can also lead to stomach and GI problems. 

Analgesics are primarily opioid-based and work by producing endogenous opioid peptides; however, they can also be mixed with other medications and are known as mixed agonists/antagonists. 

They are the most potent pain relievers but can also lead to constipation, nausea, vomiting, and drowsiness. Muscle relaxants are the most common class of analgesic, and they target areas of your body that are tense or are associated with pain.