<unk> s, usually abbreviated to<unk> s, are drugs with analgesic, antipyretic and anti-inflammatory effects - they reduce pain, fever and inflammation. The term "non-steroidal" is used to distinguish these drugs from steroids, which (among a broad range of other effects) have a similar eicosanoid-depressing, anti-inflammatory action. As analgesics,<unk> s are unusual in that they are<unk> -narcotic.<unk> s are sometimes also referred to as<unk><unk>  anti-inflammatory agents/analgesics <unk> s) or<unk><unk>  anti-inflammatory medicines <unk> s). The most prominent members of this group of drugs are aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen partly because they are available over-the-counter in many areas. Paracetamol (acetaminophen) has negligible anti-inflammatory activity, and is strictly speaking not an<unk> .
Beginning in 1829, with the isolation of salicin from the folk remedy willow bark,<unk> s have become an important part of the pharmaceutical treatment of pain (at low doses) and inflammation (at higher doses). Part of the popularity of<unk> s is that, unlike opioids, they do not produce sedation or respiratory depression and have a very low addiction rate.<unk> s, however, are not without their own problems (see below). Certain<unk> s, including ibuprofen and aspirin, have become accepted as relatively safe and are available over-the-counter without prescription.
In 2001,<unk> s accounted for 70,000,000 prescriptions and 30 billion over-the-counter doses sold annually in the United States (Green, 2001). With the aging of the Baby Boomer generation and the associated rise in the incidence of osteoarthritis and other such conditions for which<unk> s are indicated, the use of<unk> s may increase further still.
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug
Anti inflammatory medications
Antiviral drug
Antitumorigenic herbs
Anti-diabetic drug
Steroid
Antiplatelet drug
Antimalarial drug