Many nonprescription pain relievers have different names, but if you check the labels, nearly all contain one of these three medicines. They are effective for relief of mild and moderate pain. Chemical names are long and difficult to pronounce. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approves the generic, shortened names by which drugs are usually known.
Drug companies give their products brand names.
Many nonprescription and prescription pain relievers are available under both generic and brand names. Your doctor or pharmacist can tell you the generic name. Generic products tend to be less expensive than brand-name drugs and usually are just as effective. However, because of differences in manufacturing methods, medicines with the same generic name produced by different companies may differ in the way they are absorbed by the body. For this reason, your doctor may prefer that you take a brand-name drug.