List of Painkillers from Strongest to Weakest

Pain medications are drugs used to alleviate discomfort linked to disease, injury, or surgery. Since the pain process is intricate, there are lots of types of pain drugs that supply relief by acting through a range of physiological mechanisms.

Pain is an undesirable sensation that might end up being discomforting at greater strengths. The typical websites or origin of pain are back, eye, face, stomach, joint pain, tongue etc. The triggered pain can be of different types like severe, moderate or even moderate. Several types of pain killers are readily available in the market to obtain rid of the pain. Pain killers are offered in pharmacy either as over-the-counter drugs however some may need prescription from a medical doctor. Below is the list of common pain relievers (for moderate pain and for severe pain), both over-the-counter and prescribed, along with their effects, potency and adverse effects.

List of Strong Painkillers with Reviews

General Guideline

  • Pain killers which are NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) works on the patho-physiological processes that elicit pain, fever and other signs of swelling in the body.
  • Corticosteroids pain reliever are usually given for the management of musculoskeletal injuries due to its effect on shutting down inflammation causing processes.
  • The pain which is set off by any damaged or sensitive nerves (see most commonly in cases like sciatica or shingles) is generally handled by nerve blockers or anti-depressants. These tablets have the capacity to regulate the understanding of pain by main worried system.
  • Some pain- killers are made use of as muscle relaxants to decreases the intensity of pain triggered by the muscles group. This pain reliever serve as sedative for main worried system.
  • Factor behind consuming medication is to enhance the lifestyle. It is essential to recognize that every pain reliever is connected with some negative effects in short term or long term. Therefore it is encouraged to learn and determine potential drawbacks prior to taking in any painkiller.

Following are the description of a strong and effective pain relievers:

Paracetamol

It is among the popular pain killers readily available (primarily utilized for the management of common headaches and non nerve discomforts). The efficient dosage is 2 tablets which can be consumed a minimum of 4 times a day (or at every 6 hrs interval). This dose and dosing routine is thought about safe for grownups. There are no common adverse effects for this medication and this drug can be used for longer time period. Nevertheless overdose of paracetamol can trigger some serious negative effects; for that reason it is highly recommended not to increase the dosage if the intensity of pain increases. If pain symptoms cannot resolve within 3 days, get in touch with the basic physician.

Ibuprofen

This drug is a type of NSAIDs i.e. non steroidal anti inflammatory drugs. It works best on inflammation triggering drugs in a very same method it is used for dealing with arthritis or any injury. This drug is not enabled to be made use of for longer time periods unless the swelling does not vanish. If this drug is consumed for longer time periods, it can result in significant adverse effects like bleeding, indigestion, heart problems and kidney issues. It is highly encouraged not to take in overdose of this drug as it can trigger severe repercussions.

Strongest painkiller image
Some painkillers offer quick relief that lasts for a short time. These are called short-acting pain relievers. Long-acting painkillers (also called slow-release painkillers) are slower to control the pain but work for a longer time.

Codeine

This drug does not work well alone but can provide far much better results when used with paracetamol in a single formulation. Over the counter drugs are available under the label of co-codamol (which is paracetamol integrated with lower amount of codeine). Greater potency of codeine should just be utilized on doctor’s prescription. Some other painkillers with greater potency consist of Zydol (tramadol) and dihydrocodeine.

Drugs under this category are considered as habit-forming or addicting. The factor behind is these drugs makes an individual feel unhealthy for a short time duration when stop taking in. If for any certain factor this drug is consumed for longer period then consult your basic doctor for suggestions.

Amitriptyline and Gabapentin

Gabapentin is the drug used for dealing with epilepsy and amitriptyline medication and is used for dealing with anxiety. Both of the drugs are also given to patients for dealing with pain activated by damaged or hyper-sensitive nerves that includes sciatica, shingles or nerve pain caused by diabetes. This medication is taken in when prescribed by the general doctor. Adverse effects of both the drugs consist of dizziness and drowsiness.

Morphine

This drug is thought about as effective and best pain reliever offered. Some other drugs fall under this classification consist of fentanyl, buprenorphine and Oxycodone. It is encouraged to book using this pain killer just in severe pain. These medications are only consumed when recommended by pain professional or general physician as the doctor will keep an eye on the development on dosage potency. These drugs are typically used for long term to administer the pain.

Strong opioids are medicines used to deal with severe or long-lasting (persistent) pain. Although there are numerous kinds of strong opioids, morphine is the most frequently utilized strong opioid and usually the first one your doctor will prescribe, according iytmed.com.

Oxymorphone hydrochloride extended-release tablets are suggested for the management of pain severe sufficient to require daily, ongoing, long-term opioid treatment and for which alternative treatment choices are insufficient.

The most typical side-effects are constipation, feeling sick (queasiness), and tiredness. It is uncommon for individuals who take a strong opioid to deal with pain to become addicted to strong opioids.

Pain meds image
The opioids deal with specific opioid receptors in the body, which are mainly located in the brain and the spine. Lots of oral opioids are used in the treatment of chronic pain. Integrating opioids with other painkillers such as paracetamol and NSAIDs involves assaulting the pain on various receptors. This typically reduces your opioid requirements by approximately 30%, which leads to improved pain relief and a lowered risk of adverse effects.

The following table lists more OTC and recommended painkillers:

List of Painkillers by Strength (from Strongest to Weakest)

OTC Pain Killers
Brand Name
Generic Name
Per Pill Dose
Strength
Best Uses
Motrin 800
Ibuprofen
(effectively used as an antipyretic, and analgesic).
Classified under NSAIDs
220 mg
800 mg
3.5
Treat rheumatism, arthritis and musculo-skeletal issues
Naproxen
Aleve
naproxen sodium
(one of the very potent and powerful anti-inflammatory agents)
NSAID
 
220 mg
3
Prescribe mainly for the management of arthritis pain and inflammation. It is also effective for other
musculo-skeletal ailments
Nuprin
Advil
Motrin
Ibuprofen
NSAID
44 291 tablet
200 mg
2.5
Treat muscle aches and fever
Vanquish
Combination of acetaminophen and aspirin (NSAID)
325 mg
500 mg
2.25
Given for the acute management of headache
Excedrin
Anacin
Tylenol
Acetaminophen
L374 caplet
500 mg
2
Treat fever, can be used instead of aspirin if a person is allergic to salicylates or aspirin, given to arthritis patients, treat rheumatism and musculo-skeletal issues
Bufferin
Bayer
Anacin
Ecotrin
Aspirin (also classified under
NSAIDs or acetylsalicylic acid)
81 mg
325 mg
1
Helpful for the management of pains and minor aches
Prescription Pain Killers
Brand Name
Generic Name
Per Pill Dose
Strength
Best Uses
Problems Caused
Palladone
(caps)
Dilaudid (tabs)
Hydromorphone
hydrochloride
1 mg
2 mg
3 mg
4 mg
11
Dilaudid is considered as more effective as compared to morphine with some serious side effects
 
Fentora Duragesic
Actiq
Fentanyl
Lollipop or Skin patch
10
The strength of fentanyl is the result of an estimate since it was not developed when study was conducted. It is a powerful substance for treating fragmentation and gunshot wounds. The overdosage is associated with serious side effects and consequences. It is highly recommended to handle fentanyl carefully as mishandling can lead to death due to respiratory depression.
Opana
Oxymorphone
5mg 7.5mg
10mg 15mg
20mg 30mg 40mg
9
Oxymorphone hydrochloride extended-release tablets are suggested for the management of pain severe sufficient to require daily, ongoing, long-term opioid treatment and for which alternative treatment choices are insufficient.
MS Contin RMS
Morphine
sulfate
15 mg
30mg
60mg
100 mg
9
It is considered as the 4th most powerful drug available.
Oxycontin 40
Oxycodone HCl
40 mg
8.5
Oxycodone is considered as powerful and very effective.
NOTE: The strength of oxycodone is an estimation as it does not exist when study was conducted
Percocet
Acetaminophen and oxycodone HCl
2.5 mg to 650 mg
7
Percodan
Aspirin, oxycodone, terephthalate oxycodone HCl
325 mg
4.50 mg
0.38 mg
7
Demerol
Meperidine HCl
50 mg
100 mg
4
Opiates drug and synthetic opiates drugs are considered as the most powerful pain killers, but their use is abuse as all these drugs can make a person habitual of it.
 
 
Including large quantity of Tylenol (acetaminophen) with these drugs is prohibited for pharmaceutical companies and the reason behind is its overdose can totally destroys liver.
 
 
NOTE:
** The strength of Norco is an estimation as it does not exist while study was conducting.
Lorcet
Acetaminophen and hydrocodone
5 mg to
500 mg
5
Vicodin
Acetaminophen and hydrocodone
5 mg to
500 mg
5
Lorcet Plus
Acetaminophen and hydrocodone
7.5 mg to
650 mg
5.5
Vicodin ES
Acetaminophen and hydrocodone
7.5 mg to
750 mg
6
Norco
Acetaminophen and hydrocodone-APAP
5 mg to 325 mg
10 mg to 325 mg
6.5**
Lortab
Acetaminophen and hydrocodone
10 mg to 500 mg
7
Vicodin HP
Acetaminophen and hydrocodone
10 mg to 660 mg
7
Ultram
Tramadol
50 mg
3.8*
Gives relief from moderate pain
Constipation, nausea, dizziness, drowsiness, headache and vomiting
* NOTE: when the study is conducting Ultram and Celebrex does not exist. Their scores are an estimation
Celebrex
Celecoxib
(COX-2 inhibitor)
NSAID
100 mg
200 mg
3.7*
Rheumatoid, osteoarthritis and other sources of acute pain in addition to menstruation pain
Moderately increase the risk of bleeding in stomach, stroke and
heart attack

Notify your health care expert about any previous history of substance abuse. All patients treated with opioids for pain require careful tracking by their healthcare specialists for signs of abuse and dependency, and to identify when these analgesics are not needed.

Most Popular Pain Medications in USA in 2024

Examples of nonprescription pain medications include:

Information verified by the iytmed.com team.
  • Acetaminophen (Tylenol)
  • Aspirin
  • Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB)
  • Naproxen (Aleve)

Prescription medications include the following:

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)

Nabumetone (Relafen)
Ibuprofen (Motrin)
Fenoprofen (Nalfon)
Piroxicam (Feldene)
Tolmetin (Tolectin)
Indomethacin (Indocin, Indo-Lemmon)
Ketorolac (Toradol)
Sulindac (Clinoril)
Oxaprozin (Daypro)
Diclofenac (Voltaren)
Naproxen (Naprosyn, Anaprox)
Diflunisal (Dolobid)
Mefenamic acid (Ponstel)
Etodolac (Lodine)
Meloxicam (Mobic)
Flurbiprofen (Ansaid)

COX-2 inhibitor

Celecoxib (Celebrex)

Opioid analgesics

Morphine and morphine sustained release (MS-Contin, Avinza, Kadian)
Oxymorphone (Opana, Opana ER)
Hydrocodone with acetaminophen (Lortab Elixir, Vicodin)
Oxycodone with aspirin (Percodan)
Meperidine (Demerol, Merpergan)
Hydrocodone (Zohydro)
Tramadol, tramadol with acetaminophen (Ultram, Ultracet)
Buprenorphine (Butrans)
Oxycodone sustained release (OxyContin)
Methadone (Dolophine)
Propoxyphene with aspirin, propoxyphene with acetaminophen
Hydrocodone with ibuprofen (Vicoprofen)
Oxycodone with acetaminophen (Percocet)
Acetaminophen with codeine (Tylenol #2, #3, #4)
Fentanyl transdermal patches (Duragesic)
Oxycodone with ibuprofen (Combunox)
Tapentadol (Nucynta, Nucynta ER)
Pentazocine (Talwin,)
Hydromorphone (Exalgo)

Mixed opioid agonist/antagonists

Pentazocine/naloxone (Talwin NX)
Butorphanol and Nalbuphine (Nubain)

Antidepressants

Desipramine (Norpramin)
Bupropion (Wellbutrin)
Imipramine (Tofranil)
Venlafaxine (Effexor)
Duloxetine (Cymbalta)
Amitriptyline (Elavil)

Anticonvulsants

Carbamazepine (Tegretol)
Tiagabine (Gabitril)
Pregabalin (Lyrica)
Lamotrigine (Lamictal)
Topiramate (Topamax)
Clonazepam (Klonopin)
Gabapentin (Neurontin)

Fibromyalgia medication

Milnacipran (Savella)

Anxiolytics

Diazepam (Valium)
Triazolam (Halcion)
Alprazolam (Xanax)
Lorazepam (Ativan)

Muscle relaxants

Methocarbamol (Robaxin)
Cyclobenzaprine (Flexeril)
Chlorzoxazone (Parafon Forte, DSC)
Metaxalone (Skelaxin)
Baclofen (Lioresal)
Dantrolene (Dantrium)
Tizanidine (Zanaflex)
Orphenadrine (Norflex)
Carisoprodol (Soma)

Corticosteroids

Cortisone
Methylprednisolone (Medrol, A-Methapred, Depo Medrol, Solu Medrol)
Dexamethasone
Triamcinolone (Allernaze, Aristospan 5 mg, Aristospan Injection 20 mg, Kenalog 10 Injection, Kenalog Nasacort AQ)
Prednisolone
Prednisone

Reyus Mammadli

As a healthy lifestyle advisor I try to guide individuals in becoming more aware of living well and healthy through a series of proactive and preventive measures, disease prevention steps, recovery after illness or medical procedures.

Education: Bachelor Degree of Medical Equipment and Electronics.

Health Recovery Tips
What is the strongest painkiller by your experience?
  1. David Rodgers

    Obviously, one can’t always get every option onto a table like this but I believe that Oxymorphone is conspicuously missing.

  2. Angie Baumgartner

    Yes it is i wonder where it fits in because that’s what i take !

  3. Reyus

    Thanks for reminder. Opana (Oxymorphone) was added to the list.

  4. Paul M Hucik

    I would say that Fentanyl is the strongest, with Opana as number 2, and Oxycodone as number 3.

  5. Kitten

    People mistakenly believe fentanyl to be the strongest but it is actually dilaudid.

  6. Tagir Taring

    what about Dolo 650

  7. Reyus

    It is Acetaminophen, which already mentioned in the list.

  8. Roy Smith

    What about acetaminophen with Codeine aka T-3

  9. Derrick

    I would have to respectively disagree, as I have personal experience with everything on this list and can say with confidence that Paul is correct!

  10. Goliath

    how many of them are available in india?

  11. Logan

    Where are the Sufenta, Etorphine, and then the king Carfentanil. im sure the basic compounds are listed but these drugs are at the top, they are deadly, not so much Sufenta but the other 2 are adn probably cannot be consumed by humans without dying.

  12. Laura Horton

    I had intravenous Morphine, which wasn’t touching the pain, so the went to Dilaudid. Before the nurse was finished injecting I was floating away. Have never in my life had a pain med that hit that hard that fast.
    Of course it also made the room spin wildly for days and I had to be put back on fluids because the nausea was so severe.
    I had Fentanyl patches for back injury but I didn’t get enough pain relief so I took Tramadol too.

  13. Derrick

    The patches that you had to take it home tramadol are very strong if you do them in violation of their label. They can be eaten and that’s all I’m saying because I don’t want to be blamed for any deaths!

  14. joe e

    I had a bone infection. Morphine and oxcies were useless, doc put me on dilaulid. Wow that stuff is great. Dangerous if your not careful.

  15. Gregory Marzetti

    This list is weakest to strongest and not strongest to weakest per the title.

  16. Reyus

    Thank you, Gregory. You are right. A will do correction in the tables.

  17. Becki Blankenship

    Where does methadone fit in this list

  18. Reyus

    We will check and add in future. Thank you.

  19. Brittany

    I see codeine mentioned in the text, not the chart itself.

  20. Marshall

    I just had spinal fusion surgery and I was on the heaviest of pain meds. My doctor asked me to take a dose of each of Percocet, Injected Dilaudid, Opana, Fentanyl, and Oxycodone. In descending order, the strongest of what I took (it depends on how your brain reacts to the meds to relieve pain) I would say Dilaudid(injected), Opana(tabs), Fentanyl(tabs), Percocet(tabs), and finally Oxycodone(tabs). I have an extremely high tolerance to pills and unfortunately an extremely low tolerance to pain so really none of them really helped ME. But I based that list off of what lessened the pain the most. Our brains are all different and we all react to pills and pain differently. I just had my L4, L5, and S1 vertabraes fused together so you can imagine how bad that pain is (about 50 times worse than a compound fracture to me). Just try around and see what works for you, if you’re looking to get high off these… Percocet, Fentanyl(BE VERY CAREFUL WITH THIS!), and Dilaudid are the best. Keep away from high dosages and be careful because you can end up in very bad situations. AND DO NOT MIX WITH ALCOHOL UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, YOU WILL REGRET IT.

  21. Geoffrey Desi

    Methadone provides a decent euphoria and can also be enhance with other medications like Promethazine (antihistamine), Benzo’s, and marijuana. Despite what people say Methadone is not difficult to come off of physically. I was on it for 10 years and was taken off of it by decreasing my dose by 20% every 3 days. It wasn’t pleasant by any means but I heard horror stories about coming off of Methadone and it wasn’t the worst thing in the world. Take Care.

  22. Steven Duncan

    Opana is oxymorphone !

  23. Ray Reid

    is xanax considered an opioid

  24. Reyus

    No, Xanax is not a narcotic, it is a bezodiazepine. Please read more about xanax here: https://iytmed.com/xanax/

  25. Anne Crudup

    Is Fentanyl made in pill form or only patches? My friend’s husband has terminal cancer and is in excruciating pain. When he was in the hospital he had a morphine drip but it didn’t seem to help much. They sent him home with hydrocodone (but gave them a hard time about it!) Next time in hospital he got dilaudid which did help. Hospice has given him methadone(?) and Fentanyl patches but he is still in pain. Seems like they would give a dying cancer patient the strongest thing there is whatever that is.

  26. observer

    Thanks for putting this list out here. I had surgery for prolapsed hemorrhoids. Morphine via IV helped but did not completely relieve the pain. Dilaudid took care of the pain pretty fast!

    In the hospital, it was 2 Oxycodones, plus the dilauid every 4 to six hours. Pain free is a good feeling.

    Now I have a pinched nerve in my head that gives frequent and sometime severe ear aches. I take regular tylenol type meds in the day, and a bit of hydrocodone with some more tylenol type at night.

    So far, the spiking pains in the night haven’t disturbed my sleep more than once or twice in the 8 hours I try to sleep. I just hope I can manage the level of pain with low dose codeine and the tylenol. If I can sleep, I can tolerate the discomfort pretty good duing the day.

  27. Ryan Maguire

    This isnt veey accurate. Theres thr morphine side and condiene side. On the Morphine side it goes Morphine to Dihydromorphone (Dilaudid) , to Oxymorphone (Opana)

  28. Mike Sidhu

    i had mulitple breaks and fractures the worse one was pelvic with dislocated hip, doctors not helping me at all, i am buy herion off the street. scared that i might get a bad batch, but i no other chioce. so annyoing the pain is, what can i do any suggestions, please and thanx

  29. Kevin Toner

    Yo Marshall
    Just had the same fusion a month ago . U have a laminectomy also?

  30. Tena

    Agreed. Personally I think fentanyl is not worth my time. Dilaudid actually works.

  31. Jas

    Anyone who has to use the stronger ones certainly has my sympathy. Must be horrendous living with pain THAT bad..

  32. Cindy Gossett

    where does butalb-acetamin-caff 50-325-40 fall in the strongest to weakest chart

  33. Brian Wong

    sad states everyone..no one should require painkillers which damages your liver/kidney..our bodies can naturally repel pain through simple breathing exercises without resorting to addictive drugs..

  34. raetta

    Sorry Brian but exercises does not work for me have try not help there for me

  35. Marie

    Sorry brian wondering if you have every suffrted with excruciating pain?.m

  36. Brian Wong

    I believe the last was an open wound surgery without local Anesthetic..I requested for it..the pain subsided as we gotten deeper into it..

  37. yukimi kasaki

    Dilaudid is defiantly the strongest I’ve had. the last 2 times I was in the hospital (one for a gastroparesis flare and one from being hit by a car) that’s what they gave me, tho I don’t like opiates at all, they make gastroparesis worse and don’t act well with dysautonomia so they make my blood pressure dangerously low. by anychance anyone know whats the strongest non-opiate pain med?

  38. Alareenie

    You are not everyone ! I am in a small group that does not like downers but I hate pain even more ! I had surgery on 8 hammertoes and the pain is close to unbearable for me .I hyperventilate when they were trying to remove the stitches ! The pain is horrific ! It took 3 visits and they do not even offer a topical coolant

  39. Alareenie

    You are lucky but I would rather a lethal injection then then amount of pain this is causing me

  40. Bob Jones

    The worst pain I ever had was detoxing.

  41. Paul argent

    I was trying to find out about longtec but no mention in the list

  42. Reyus Mammadli author

    Your mentioned pain medicine uses OXYCODONE HYDROCHLORIDE as active substance. You can find it in “Prescription Pain Killers” table.

  43. Mickey Zolan

    I once tried an Oxyconin 60 ER which was brown and too hard too cut in half. So I took the whole pill. I was amazed at how well it worked and how long it lasted, nearly 24 hours I thought I could handl it it easily because I had been taking Dilauded-8’s and Morphine. This OxyContin ER beat the hell out of any previous combination even my doubling up of very strong Dilauded 8mgs. I could not drive at all. I waited 48 hours before I returned to earth. (ER-Extended Release)

  44. mal mom

    Brian, what caused the worst kind of pain you’ve ever had? I’m sorry to be disrespectful, but if you’ve ever woken up in the recovery room following multi level spinal fusion, with rods and screws through your vertebrate,, there is no breathing exercise in the world that’s going to touch that pain. Get teal for a moment. And Marshall with the fusion, any doctor that prescribed all those meds at once should NOT be practicing. You’re lucky to be alive. I think all of us with moderate to severe chronic pain can agree there’s really no magic fix out there for us and that we are NOT simply drug seekers as many like to think of us.

  45. Mike Templeton

    What about Roxanol?

  46. Reyus Mammadli author

    Actually it is one of many brand names of Morphine. We already mentioned Morphine in our painkiller meds list.

  47. ESP1000

    Hydromorphone (Dilaudid) Definitely holds up with its own special characteristics at the top. One being a dream like effect a nod as they say and then awaken with a quite long feeling of euphoria. It is one of the more effective for serious long term chronic pain reliever to use for break thru pain when used with extended release Morphine or Oxycodone and others. Dilaudid given by injection or if you rake it not as prescribed but instead chew or let dissolve under your tongue. This way very strong bt pain relief is short. Fentanyl patches used with a course of other meds as with dilaudid is great for pain relief and also has a long half life. Problem is although the half life is long pain relief isn’t so you need more sooner yet you still have your first dose in your system then the second pain relief wears off yet the first and second dosages are still in your system when you take a 4th and usually fatal dose This is what killed Prince. Recognizing my name he reached out being from Minnesota to get a pain clinic recommendation. That was a week before he overdosed on Fentanyl. He hadn’t called my Drs office yet. I wish he had. fentanyl should only be used in the hospital because of how it can remain without effect in the body. He was suffering with the same chronic pain disorder caused by the fight flight portion of pour body being the Sympathetic nervous system it malfunctions and even the smallest injury can set it off . You have intense neuropathic pain ,pain like you would never know. It can expand to involve other areas. It never goes away and there is no known cure. treatments are across the board and I’ve used and am using just about everyone it s called CRPS- chronic regional pain syndrome use to be called RSD regional sympathetic disorder.

  48. Dave

    I guess Darvocet isn’t event stronger than Aspirin, or at least enough to be mentioned. I was just prescribed Darvocet for my pain a month ago and I’ve only taken about a week’s worth. They seemed to help me quite well. It is the only prescribed pain medication I’ve ever taken so I’m guessing I didn’t need much anyhow.

  49. J.Jacob

    Some notes regarding your list of opiates from weakest to strongest… Morphine, the predominant alkaloid in the opium poppy plant seed, is one of the most powerful all-natural opiate. The effectiveness of all other opioids is estimated against that of 30 milligrams (mg) of morphine – the estimated morphine milligram equivalent (MME). The MME or effectiveness of an opioid is its dose in mg that supplies about the very same level of pain relief as 30 mg of morphine taken by mouth.

  50. Avery

    My personal list of really strong painkillers is:

    1. Morphine.
    2. Fentanyl.
    3. Oxycodone.
    4. Buprenorphine.
    5. Diamorphine.
    6. Tapentadol.
    7. Hydromorphone.
    8. Methadone.

  51. Alexander Kendall

    Hi, Avery. Here are my pain medications list (from strongest to weakest)
    – Codeine.
    – Hydrocodone (Zohydro ER)
    – Oxycodone (OxyContin, Roxicodone)
    – Methadone.
    – Hydromorphone (Dilaudid, Exalgo)
    – Morphine (Avinza, Kadian, MSIR, MS Contin)
    – Fentanyl (Actiq, Duragesic)

  52. Davidson

    What is the strongest pain pill out there? Check my rating:

    1) codeine (only available in generic form)
    2) fentanyl (Actiq, Duragesic, Fentora)
    3) hydrocodone (Hysingla ER, Zohydro ER)
    4) hydrocodone/acetaminophen (Lorcet, Lortab, Norco, Vicodin)
    5) hydromorphone (Dilaudid, Exalgo)
    6) meperidine (Demerol)
    7) methadone (Dolophine, Methadose)

  53. SavannahLee

    Kitten, agree with you. Dilaudid is stronger than morphine mg to mg. 30mg of morphine amounts to 7.5 mg of dilaudid. Both are strong pain relievers though. You don’t say how much Dilaudid you were on however your new pain program should do rather well for you. Lengthy performing medications like morphine sulfate ER are much better for relieving chronic pain. This ought to offer you longer term pain relief.

  54. Wayne phelps

    I agree wholeheartedly…. I’ve been taking Opies(oxymorphone) for a little over 4years now… I’ve been prescribed the 30mg oxycodones for over 10years, and they lost their effectiveness a long time ago… Until I tried the opanas for the first time, nothing really worked cause my tolerance was so high. The first time I took an opanas, it was like taking a blue for the first time again… I believe that they r ‘way’ stringer than any other opioid out there… And I have tried fentanyl from time to time, and I don’t think they even compare to the Opies… I don’t shoot any drugs, so everything I take is orally…

  55. Paul C Alsobrook

    I’ve woke up in hospital with all the rods and screws plus 2 artificial disc. Pain was bad.
    I’ve also woke up in the middle of the night at home with a kidney stone almost the size of a nickel, I can’t even begin to describe how bad the pain was. If i would have had a sharp knife I would have been digging it out myself. In the ER it wasn’t until the 3rd push of morphine that it became tolerable.

  56. j. mac V.

    As I am reading this, I keep thinking about my pain, how chronically controlling it is, how it has affected my lifestyle, movements, even relationships. My prayers are to all of us who suffer from intense pain. What meds work, how well, and how cruel people can be in their judgments of us who are not chasing the drugs, just trying to shut down the pain. To be able to bend again, kneel down to my Grandchildren’s
    eyes meeting, or accept the hugs from my husband of 33+ years, without winching my eyes shut to stop the tears. If you’ve never had it, you will never understand. Please be careful, have an honest relationship with your PCP. In closing, there will be a day that comes, where there is no pain.

  57. James mizi

    The oxymorphone works for me better than anything

  58. Carole

    My wish is that my Dr would prescribe a drug for my pain, but she does not believe in drugs so I am in pain 24 hours a day

  59. Richard Cole

    I went through the list and it seems that regular oxycodone without fillers such as Acetaminophen or Ibuprofen does not appear..

  60. Aaron

    Fentanyl is strongest by dosage it’s measured in micrograms not milligrams like dilaudid or morphine it’s major downside is that it doesn’t last very long at all and dose intervals can be tricky where as dilaudid can be given consistently every 2-4 hours depending on patient tolerance and severity of pain 1 of diluadid is about 8 of morphine or 4 of herion without as much respiratory distress where as fentanyl is estimated 50 to 80 times more powerful than morphine and car fentanyl 4 ton elephant tranquilizer is the most powerful produced I think it’s 500 times more than morphine pin head size dose and u probably not surviving.

  61. betty miller

    After three back surgeries I have had deluded and oxycodone. I was still screaming after the last surgery and I have never screamed in my life. I have never screamed after surgery (and I have had a lot of them) except for the back surgery. People had to stay with me around the clock. Why can’t they use morphine for a short while. You can’t get addicted to it in 2-3 days. Instead I could not get up for about 8-10 days until I got to the nursing home.