OTC Anti-Inflammatory Medications List: Names and Types Explained

The main OTC anti-inflammatory medications are NSAIDs — aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen — which ease pain, fever, and swelling.

For the full breakdown, see our best Anti-Inflammatory OTC guide.

One bottle in the average medicine cabinet kills pain and fever but does nothing for a swollen knee, and it is often the first one people reach for. Acetaminophen is not an anti-inflammatory, so the OTC anti-inflammatory medications list is shorter than the pharmacy shelf suggests: three names cover almost every product you will pick up.

The list matters because “anti-inflammatory” on a package comes with conditions. There is a 10-day cap on treating yourself, a heart and stroke warning, a stomach-bleeding warning, and a Drug Facts panel that tells you who should call a clinician before the first dose.

What Counts As An OTC Anti-Inflammatory?

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, are the one main class of OTC anti-inflammatory sold in the United States. Acetaminophen sits outside that class — it lowers pain and fever, never swelling.

Aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen do nearly all the work on store shelves. FDA labeling guidance for internal analgesic, antipyretic, and antirheumatic OTC products recognizes eight NSAID ingredients: aspirin, carbaspirin calcium, choline salicylate, ibuprofen, ketoprofen, magnesium salicylate, naproxen sodium, and sodium salicylate. Carbaspirin calcium and sodium salicylate rarely turn up in modern products, which is why the table below stays with what you will find on a shelf today.