The list below presents the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) drug categories.
Analgesics: Drugs that relieve pain. There are two main types: non-narcotic analgesics for mild pain and narcotic analgesics for severe pain. Examples include acetaminophen (Tylenol), acetaminophen plus oxycodone (Percocet), celecoxib (Celebrex), tramadol (Ultram), ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), and aspirin.
Antacids: Drugs that relieve indigestion and heartburn by neutralizing stomach acid. Examples include calcium carbonate (Tums, Alka-Seltzer heartburn relief).
Antianxiety drugs: Drugs that suppress anxiety and relax muscles (sometimes called anxiolytics, sedatives, or minor tranquilizers). Examples include alprazolam (Xanax), lorazepam (Ativan), and buspirone (Buspar).
Antiarrhythmics: Drugs used to control irregularities in the heartbeat. Examples include amiodarone (Cordarone, Pacerone), lidocaine (Xylocaine), and digoxin (Lanoxin, Digitek, Digox).
Antibacterials: Drugs used to treat infections and used synonymously with antibiotics.
Antibiotics: Drugs made from naturally occurring and synthetic substances that combat bacterial infection. Some antibiotics are effective only against limited types of bacteria. Others, known as broad spectrum antibiotics, are effective against many bacteria. Examples include amoxicillin (Amoxil), amoxicillin and clavulanate (Augmentin), doxycycline (Doxy 100, Doryx), cephalexin (Keflex), sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim (Bactrim DS).
Anticoagulants and thrombolytics: Anticoagulants prevent blood from clotting. Thrombolytics help dissolve and disperse blood clots and may be prescribed for patients with recent arterial or venous thrombosis. Examples include warfarin (Coumadin), apixaban (Eliquis), rivaroxaban (Xarelto), heparin (Hep-lock), and enoxaparin (Lovenox).
Anticonvulsants: Drugs that prevent epileptic seizures. Examples include phenytoin (Dilantin), lamotrigine (Lamictal), and carbamazepine (Tegretol).
Antidepressants: There are three main groups of mood-lifting antidepressants: tricyclics, monoamine oxidase inhibitors, and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Examples include citalopram (Celexa), fluoxetine (Prozac), and sertraline (Zoloft).
Antidiarrheals: Drugs used for the relief of diarrhea. Two main types of antidiarrheal preparations are simple adsorbent substances and drugs that slow down the contractions of the bowel muscles so that the contents are propelled more slowly. Examples include atropine and diphenoxylate (Lomotil) and loperamide (Imodium).
Antiemetics: Drugs used to treat nausea and vomiting. Examples include ondansetron (Zofran) and promethazine (Phenergan).
Antifungals: Drugs used to treat fungal infections, the most common of which affect the hair, skin, nails, or mucous membranes. Examples include nystatin (Nystop) and amphotericin (Fungizone, Amphocin).
Antihistamines: Drugs used primarily to counteract the effects of histamine, one of the chemicals involved in allergic reactions. Examples include cetirizine (Zyrtec), loratadine (Claritin), and fexofenadine (Allegra).
Antihypertensives: Drugs that lower blood pressure. Antihypertensives currently marketed include diuretics, beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers, ACE (angiotensin-converting enzyme) inhibitors, centrally acting antihypertensives, and sympatholytics. Examples include valsartan (Diovan), amlodipine (Norvasc), and propranolol (Inderal).
Anti-inflammatories: Drugs used to reduce inflammation - the redness, heat, swelling, and increased blood flow found in infections and many chronic non-infective diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and gout. Examples include naproxen, ibuprofen, methylprednisolone (Medrol), and allopurinol (Zyloprim).
Antineoplastics: Drugs used to treat cancer. Examples include bleomycin (Blenoxane) and paclitaxel (Taxol).
Antipsychotics: Drugs used to treat symptoms of severe psychiatric disorders. These drugs are sometimes called major tranquilizers. Examples include aripiprazole (Abilify), lurasidone (Latuda), quetiapine (Seroquel), and clozapine (Clozaril).
Antipyretics: Drugs that reduce fever. Examples include paracetamol (Tylenol) and ibuprofen (Motrin).
Antivirals: Drugs used to treat viral infections or to provide temporary protection against infections such as influenza. Examples include acyclovir (Zovirax), valacyclovir (Valtrex), and oseltamivir (Tamiflu).
Barbiturates: See “sleeping drugs.” Examples include amobarbital (Amytal) and pentobarbital (Nembutal).
Beta-blockers: Beta-adrenergic blocking agents, or beta-blockers for short, reduce the heart’s oxygen needs by reducing the heartbeat rate. Examples include metoprolol (Lopressor) and nebivolol (Bystolic).
Bronchodilators: Drugs that open up the bronchial tubes within the lungs when the tubes have become narrowed by muscle spasm. Bronchodilators ease breathing in diseases such as asthma. Examples include albuterol (Ventolin, ProAir HFA) and salmeterol (Serevent Diskus).
Cold cures: Although no drug can cure a cold, the aches, pains, and fever that accompany a cold can be relieved by aspirin or acetaminophen, often accompanied by a decongestant, antihistamine, and sometimes caffeine. Many are available OTC, like Dayquil, Nyquil, Mucinex, Coricidin, Vicks, Sudafed, etc.
Corticosteroids: These hormonal preparations are used primarily as anti-inflammatories in arthritis or asthma or as immunosuppressives. They are also helpful for treating some malignancies or compensating for a deficiency of natural hormones in disorders such as Addison’s disease. Some of them are applied over the skin in eczema. Examples include methylprednisolone (Medrol) and triamcinolone (Kenolog).
Cough suppressants: Simple cough medicines, which contain substances such as honey, glycerine, or menthol, soothe throat irritation but do not suppress coughing. They are most soothing when taken as lozenges and dissolved in the mouth. As liquids, they need to be swallowed more slowly to be effective. A few drugs are legit cough suppressants. There are two groups of cough suppressants: those that alter the consistency or production of phlegm, such as mucolytics and expectorants, and those that suppress the coughing reflex, also known as “antitussives,” such as codeine (narcotic cough suppressants), antihistamines, dextromethorphan, and isoproterenol (non-narcotic cough suppressants). Examples include benzonatate (Tessalon) and Bromfed DM.
Cytotoxics: Drugs that kill or damage cells. Cytotoxics are used as antineoplastics (drugs used to treat cancer) and immunosuppressives. Examples include doxorubicin (Adriamycin) and daunorubicin (Cerubidine).
Decongestants: Drugs that reduce swelling of the mucous membranes that line the nose by constricting blood vessels, thus relieving nasal stuffiness. Examples include oxymetazoline (Afrin) and phenylephrine (Nasop, Sudafed PE).
Diuretics: Drugs that increase the quantity of urine produced by the kidneys and passed out of the body, thus ridding the body of excess fluid. Diuretics reduce the water logging of the tissues caused by fluid retention in disorders of the heart, kidneys, and liver. They help treat mild cases of high blood pressure. Examples include chlorothiazide (Diuril), furosemide (Lasix).
Expectorant: A drug that stimulates saliva flow and promotes coughing to eliminate phlegm from the respiratory tract. Examples include guaifenesin (Mucinex).
Hormones: Chemicals produced naturally by the endocrine glands (thyroid, adrenal, ovary, testis, pancreas, parathyroid). In some disorders, such as diabetes mellitus, where too little of a particular hormone is produced, synthetic equivalents or natural hormone extracts are prescribed to restore the deficiency. Such treatment is known as hormone replacement therapy. Examples include oxytocin (Pitocin) and levothyroxine (Synthroid, Levo-T).
Hypoglycemics (oral): Drugs that lower the blood glucose level. Oral hypoglycemic drugs are used in diabetes mellitus if it cannot be controlled by diet alone but do require treatment with injections of insulin. Examples include glyburide (Glynase, Diabeta) and metformin (Glucophage, Riomet).
Immunosuppressives: Drugs that prevent or reduce the body’s normal reaction to invasion by disease or by foreign tissues. Immunosuppressives are used to treat autoimmune diseases (in which the body’s defenses work abnormally and attack its own tissues) and to help prevent rejection of organ transplants. Examples include azathioprine (Azasan) and methotrexate (Trexall, Xatmep).
Laxatives: Drugs that increase the frequency and ease of bowel movements, either by stimulating the bowel wall (stimulant laxative), by increasing the bulk of bowel contents (bulk laxative), or by lubricating them (stool-softeners, or bowel movement-softeners). Laxatives may be taken by mouth or directly into the lower bowel as suppositories or enemas. Taking too many laxatives over time may cause the bowels to stop working correctly without the continued use of laxatives. Examples include bisacodyl (Dulcolax) and docusate (Colace).
Muscle relaxants: Drugs that relieve muscle spasms in disorders such as backache. Antianxiety drugs (minor tranquilizers) that also have a muscle-relaxant action are most commonly used. Examples include baclofen (Lioresal, Gablofen) and onabotulinumtoxinA (Botox).
Sedatives: Same as antianxiety drugs.
Sex hormones (female): There are two groups of these hormones (estrogens and progesterone) responsible for developing female secondary sexual characteristics. Small quantities are also produced in males. As drugs, female sex hormones are used to treat menstrual and menopausal disorders and are also used as oral contraceptives. Estrogens may be used to treat cancer of the breast or prostate, and progestins (synthetic progesterone to treat endometriosis). Examples include estradiol (Yuvafem, Estrace, Premarin).
Sex hormones (male): Androgenic hormones, the most powerful of which is testosterone, are responsible for developing secondary male sexual characteristics. Small quantities are also produced in females. As drugs, male sex hormones are given to compensate for hormonal deficiency in hypopituitarism or disorders of the testes. They may be used to treat breast cancer in women, but either synthetic derivatives called anabolic steroids, which have less marked side- effects, or specific anti-estrogens are often preferred. Anabolic steroids also have a “bodybuilding” effect that has led to their (usually non-sanctioned) use in competitive sports for both men and women. Examples include testosterone (Androgel, Testim).
Sleeping drugs: The two main groups of drugs used to induce sleep are benzodiazepines and barbiturates. All such drugs have a sedative effect in low doses and are effective sleeping medications in higher doses. Benzodiazepines are used more widely than barbiturates because they are safer, the side effects are less marked, and there is less risk of eventual physical dependence. Examples include amobarbital (Amytal), diazepam (Valium), and alprazolam (Xanax).
Tranquilizer: This term is commonly used to describe any drug that has a calming or sedative effect. However, drugs that are sometimes called minor tranquilizers should be called anti anxiety drugs, and the drugs that are sometimes called major tranquilizers should be called antipsychotics.
Vitamins: Chemicals essential in small quantities for good health. The body does not manufacture some vitamins, but adequate amounts are present in a standard diet. People with inadequate diets or digestive tract or liver disorders may need to take supplementary vitamins. Examples include Vitamin C (Ester-C) and Decara (cholecalciferol).
The US Drug Enforcement Administration classifies drugs, substances, and certain chemicals used to make drugs into five categories called schedules I to V, based on the drug’s acceptable medical use, abuse, and dependency potential.
Schedule I: These drugs have no currently accepted medical use and have a high potential for abuse and the potential to create severe psychological and/or physical dependence. Some examples are heroin, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (ecstasy).
Schedule II: These drugs have a high potential for abuse, leading to severe psychological or physical dependence, and are also considered dangerous.
Common schedule II drugs and brand names
Schedule III: They have a moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence. Schedule III drug abuse potential is less than Schedule I and Schedule II drugs but more than Schedule IV. Some examples of Schedule III drugs are products containing less than 90 milligrams of codeine per dosage unit (Tylenol with codeine), ketamine, anabolic steroids, Buprenorphine, and testosterone. Marijuana (cannabis) was downgraded to Schedule III in early 2024. Previously, marijuana was classified as Schedule I.
Schedule IV: Schedule IV drugs, substances, or chemicals are defined as drugs with a low potential for abuse and a low risk of dependence. Some examples of Schedule IV drugs are Xanax, Soma, Darvon, Darvocet, Valium, Ativan, Talwin, Ambien, and Tramadol.
Schedule V: Schedule V drugs, substances, or chemicals are defined as drugs with lower potential for abuse than Schedule IV and consist of preparations containing limited quantities of certain narcotics. Schedule V drugs are generally used for antidiarrheal, antitussive, and analgesic purposes. Some examples of Schedule V drugs are cough preparations with less than 200 milligrams of codeine or per 100 milliliters (Robitussin AC), Lomotil, Motofen, Lyrica, and Parepectolin.
Sign up for free to take 6 quiz questions on this topic