I normally only buy the generic brand because of price, and I then also know exactly what drug I'm taking rather than a brand name. I have found Walmart Equate brands to be a good value, better than Walgreens.
For arthritis pain, which is usually my lower back since I have a generative L1 thru L5 and sometimes my upper back and shoulders after golf, that
Ibuprofen works best. For those who go by brand names, that would be
Advil. At Walmart the Equate version you can get 200mg, 500 pills for $6.98.
There is one stipulation, for those with a stent and take a baby aspirin everyday, you are to avoid this drug. Apparently it stops the aspirin from doing it's job. I have a stent but also take Plavix, a prescription blood thinner, in the morning and a baby aspirin in the evening. So I will take Ibuprofen but usually at least an hour after I've taken a baby aspirin late in the day.
Also for back pain only, I take a prescription drug called
Flexeril, I usually use the brand name when speaking because the generic name is
Cyclobenzaprine. The generic is very cheap, usually $4 for 30 at most pharmacies and most doctors will prescribe easily. I've been taking them since 2005 and they work great and don't give you any buzz, so driving or any other activity is not a problem. It's a muscle relaxer and it only works on the back. I often forget about the pain and then later realized the drug must of worked.
Probably one of the most popular drugs is
Tylenol, or generic name
Acetaminophen. I have it onhand but only take it for headaches, I find it has zero benefit for any ache or pain of the body. At Walmart the Equate generic you see pictured below is $6.98 for 2 bottles, 500mg, 500 total pills.
Another drug that I do take is, generic name
Naproxen, also known by brand name
Aleve. This drug is recommeded for those of us with a stent and don't get any relief from Tylenol. I take one at the end of the day, so that's well after my aspirin, and it doesn't really work all that great for me but does help me fall asleep.