Drug cluster · 21 substances
Opioids list
Opioids act on mu-opioid receptors in the brain and spinal cord to relieve pain. The same receptors control breathing, which is why opioids can cause fatal overdose, especially with sedatives, alcohol, or illicit fentanyl.
This cluster covers prescription opioids used for pain (oxycodone, hydrocodone, morphine, hydromorphone, tapentadol, tramadol, codeine, fentanyl), medicines that treat opioid use disorder (buprenorphine and methadone), and heroin.
Also profiled on DoseUses in this cluster: Butorphanol, Carfentanil, Diphenoxylate and atropine, Levorphanol, Loperamide, Meperidine, Naloxone, Naltrexone, Oxymorphone, and Promethazine with codeine.
Naloxone reverses opioid overdose. It is sold without a prescription and is safe to give to anyone who may be overdosing. Treatment with buprenorphine or methadone cuts the risk of death from opioid use disorder by about half.
FDA boxed warnings shared by prescription opioids
- Addiction, abuse, and misuse, which can lead to overdose and death.
- Life-threatening slowed breathing.
- Profound sedation, coma, and death when combined with benzodiazepines or other CNS depressants.
- Neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome with prolonged use in pregnancy.
Compare the opioids at a glance
| Substance | Also known as | Type | US status | Medical use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buprenorphine | Suboxone, Subutex, Zubsolv | Partial opioid agonist | Schedule III | Opioid use disorder; chronic pain |
| Butorphanol | Stadol, Stadol NS | Mixed opioid agonist-antagonist | Schedule IV | Pain; migraine (nasal spray, off-label); labor |
| Carfentanil | Wildnil | Synthetic opioid agonist (fentanyl analog) | Schedule II | None in humans (veterinary use only) |
| Codeine | Tylenol with Codeine, Tuzistra XR | Opioid agonist (prodrug) | Schedule II | Mild to moderate pain; cough |
| Diphenoxylate and atropine | Lomotil, Lonox | Opioid-derived antidiarrheal with atropine | Schedule V | Diarrhea (adjunct) |
| Fentanyl | Duragesic, Actiq, Fentora | Synthetic opioid agonist | Schedule II | Anesthesia; severe pain in opioid-tolerant patients |
| Heroin | Diacetylmorphine, Diamorphine, Dope | Opioid agonist (semi-synthetic) | Schedule I | None in the US |
| Hydrocodone | Norco, Vicodin, Lortab | Opioid agonist | Schedule II | Severe pain |
| Hydromorphone | Dilaudid, Exalgo | Opioid agonist | Schedule II | Severe pain |
| Levorphanol | Levo-Dromoran | Opioid agonist with NMDA antagonist activity | Schedule II | Severe pain |
| Loperamide | Imodium, Imodium A-D | Peripheral opioid receptor agonist (antidiarrheal) | Not federally controlled | Diarrhea |
| Meperidine | Demerol, Pethidine | Synthetic opioid agonist | Schedule II | Acute pain (short term) |
| Methadone | Methadose, Dolophine | Long-acting opioid agonist | Schedule II | Opioid use disorder; severe pain |
| Morphine | MS Contin, Kadian, Duramorph | Opioid agonist | Schedule II | Severe pain; palliative care |
| Naloxone | Narcan, RiVive, Kloxxado | Opioid antagonist (overdose reversal) | Not federally controlled | Emergency treatment of opioid overdose |
| Naltrexone | Vivitrol, Revia | Opioid antagonist | Not federally controlled | Alcohol use disorder; opioid use disorder |
| Oxycodone | OxyContin, Roxicodone, Percocet | Opioid agonist | Schedule II | Severe pain |
| Oxymorphone | Opana, Opana ER, Numorphan | Opioid agonist | Schedule II | Severe pain |
| Promethazine with codeine | Phenergan with Codeine | Opioid cough suppressant with a sedating antihistamine | Schedule V | Cough and cold symptoms (adults) |
| Tapentadol | Nucynta, Nucynta ER | Opioid agonist with norepinephrine reuptake inhibition | Schedule II | Acute and chronic pain; diabetic nerve pain |
| Tramadol | Ultram, Ultracet, ConZip | Opioid agonist with serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibition | Schedule IV | Moderate to severe pain |
Buprenorphine
Suboxone, Subutex, Zubsolv
Buprenorphine is a partial opioid agonist and one of the most effective treatments for opioid use disorder.
Read profileButorphanol
Stadol, Stadol NS
Butorphanol is a prescription opioid that activates kappa opioid receptors and partly blocks mu receptors.
Read profileCarfentanil
Wildnil, Elephant tranquilizer, Gray death (in mixtures)
Carfentanil is a synthetic opioid about 100 times more potent than fentanyl and 10,000 times more potent than morphine.
Read profileCodeine
Tylenol with Codeine, Tuzistra XR
Codeine is a mild opioid used for pain and, in some products, for cough.
Read profileDiphenoxylate and atropine
Lomotil, Lonox
Lomotil combines diphenoxylate, an opioid-related drug that slows the gut, with a small dose of atropine added to discourage misuse.
Read profileFentanyl
Duragesic, Actiq, Fentora
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid about 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine.
Read profileHeroin
Diacetylmorphine, Diamorphine, Dope
Heroin is an illegal opioid made from morphine.
Read profileHydrocodone
Norco, Vicodin, Lortab
Hydrocodone is a prescription opioid for severe pain, most often combined with acetaminophen in products such as Norco and Vicodin.
Read profileHydromorphone
Dilaudid, Exalgo
Hydromorphone (Dilaudid) is a potent opioid, about five times stronger than morphine by mouth, used for severe pain in hospitals, after surgery, and in cancer care.
Read profileLevorphanol
Levo-Dromoran
Levorphanol is a potent, long-acting prescription opioid for severe pain.
Read profileLoperamide
Imodium, Imodium A-D, Poor man's methadone
Loperamide (Imodium) is an over-the-counter diarrhea medicine that acts on opioid receptors in the gut.
Read profileMeperidine
Demerol, Pethidine, Demmies
Meperidine (Demerol), called pethidine outside the US, is a synthetic opioid for short-term acute pain.
Read profileMethadone
Methadose, Dolophine
Methadone is a long-acting opioid used to treat opioid use disorder and severe pain.
Read profileMorphine
MS Contin, Kadian, Duramorph
Morphine is the original opioid pain medicine, extracted from the opium poppy, and the standard against which other opioids are measured.
Read profileNaloxone
Narcan, RiVive, Kloxxado
Naloxone is an emergency medicine that reverses opioid overdose by knocking opioids off their receptors.
Read profileNaltrexone
Vivitrol, Revia
Naltrexone is a prescription medicine that blocks opioid receptors.
Read profileOxycodone
OxyContin, Roxicodone, Percocet
Oxycodone is a strong prescription opioid used for pain severe enough to need an opioid when other treatments are not enough.
Read profileOxymorphone
Opana, Opana ER, Numorphan
Oxymorphone is a strong prescription opioid for severe pain, roughly twice as potent as oxycodone by mouth.
Read profilePromethazine with codeine
Phenergan with Codeine, Lean, Purple drank
Promethazine with codeine is a prescription cough syrup that combines codeine, an opioid, with promethazine, a sedating antihistamine.
Read profileTapentadol
Nucynta, Nucynta ER
Tapentadol (Nucynta) is a prescription opioid that also blocks norepinephrine reuptake.
Read profileTramadol
Ultram, Ultracet, ConZip
Tramadol is a prescription pain medicine that acts as a weak opioid and also raises serotonin and norepinephrine levels.
Read profile