Opioid painkillers compared

Compare all 32 opioid painkillers side by side, used for conditions such as opioid-related disorders, intractable pain, pain. Opioid painkillers are the Opioid Agonist class. They share one FDA-defined mechanism but differ in approved uses, prescription status, brand-vs-generic options, price, and FDA recall-safety record — which our independent rating scores. The highest-rated is methadone hydrochloride.

Top-rated opioid agonist: 1. Methadone Hydrochloride · 2. Sublimaze Preservative Free · 3. Sufenta Preservative Free

Opioid Agonist drugs compared side by side, with pharmaranks' FDA recall-safety rating
Drug	Generic	Form	Status	Used for	Safety ratingFDA recall-based	Pharmacy pays
Methadone Hydrochloride	—	Injectable	Prescription	Opioid-Related Disorders, Intractable Pain	72/100	$0
Sublimaze Preservative Free	Fentanyl Citrate	Injectable	Prescription	Pain	72/100	$10
Sufenta Preservative Free	Sufentanil Citrate	Injectable	Prescription	Pain	72/100	—
Duramorph Pf	Morphine Sulfate	Injectable	Prescription	Dyspnea, Intractable Pain	70/100	$3
Imodium A-D	Loperamide Hydrochloride	Capsule	Over-the-counter	Colonic Diseases, Functional, Diarrhea	70/100	$0
Infumorph	Morphine Sulfate	Injectable	Prescription	Dyspnea, Intractable Pain	70/100	$3
Loperamide Hydrochloride	—	Capsule	Prescription	Colonic Diseases, Functional, Diarrhea	70/100	$0
Methadose	Methadone Hydrochloride	Concentrate	Prescription	Opioid-Related Disorders, Intractable Pain	70/100	$0
Ultiva	Remifentanil Hydrochloride	Injectable	Prescription	Pain	70/100	—
Dilaudid	Hydromorphone Hydrochloride	Injectable	Prescription	Cough, Postoperative Pain	68/100	$1
Dilaudid-Hp	Hydromorphone Hydrochloride	Injectable	Prescription	Cough, Postoperative Pain	68/100	$1
Fentanyl Citrate	—	Injectable	Prescription	Pain	68/100	$10

The safety rating column is unique to pharmaranks — an independent 0–100 score from FDA regulatory recall data. Higher is safer. Not medical advice.

Best opioid agonist by condition

Full ranking · 32 drugs

Frequently asked questions

What is the Opioid Agonist drug class?

Opioid Agonist is an FDA Established Pharmacologic Class (EPC) — a group of drugs that share a mechanism of action. pharmaranks lists 32 Opioid Agonist products, each independently rated.

Are all Opioid Agonist drugs the same?

No. Opioid Agonist drugs share the same core mechanism — that is why they sit in one FDA class — but they differ in their approved uses, available forms, whether they are prescription or over-the-counter, brand-vs-generic options and price, and their FDA recall-safety record.

Is "opioid painkillers" the same as the Opioid Agonist class?

Yes — "opioid painkillers" is the everyday name for the Opioid Agonist drug class. This page compares the 32 opioid painkillers pharmaranks rates, with our independent FDA recall-safety score for each.

What conditions do Opioid Agonist drugs treat?

Per NIH RxClass drug-classification data, Opioid Agonist drugs are used for conditions including opioid-related disorders, intractable pain, pain, dyspnea, colonic diseases, functional, diarrhea.

Which Opioid Agonist drug is best-rated?

By our independent rating, methadone hydrochloride currently ranks highest among Opioid Agonist drugs. Ratings are based on FDA regulatory (recall-safety) data — always consult a professional.

Sources: the Opioid Agonist class definition and its member drugs come from the U.S. NLM RxClass (Established Pharmacologic Class); how the class works is summarized from Mu Receptors - StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf. Ratings are pharmaranks’ independent FDA recall-safety analysis.