The 1950's (actually, up until about 1965) were probably the last decade of basically legal drugs, with very little restrictions on their sale. Until 1956 amphetamines were available OTC, and I forget the year for barbiturates. D/L-methamphetamine was excluded from the inhaler ban and was available in inhalers OTC until the mid-1960's. With that said...ALL the names of ALL available pills at the time that will never be known nowadays. I can do my best to list quite a few, since I have a bunch of old advertisements on my computer.
You had:
Amphetamines:
-Biphetamine was 50% amphetamine and 50% dextroamphetamine, in a time release resin complex known as "black beauties".
-Benzedrine, which was amphetamine sulfate. They came in Spansules, tablets, and liquid...same goes for the next two.
-Dexedrine, which was dextroamphetamine sulfate.
-Dexamyl was Dextroamphetamine and Amobarbital (Dexedrine+Amytal).
-Eskatrol was Dexedrine and Compazine (a tranquilizer), and only came in Spansules (anything with Benzedrine or Spansule is made by the same company...Smith Kline & French).
-Edrisal was Benzedrine and Aspirin.
-Desoxyn Gradumets were time-released methamphetamine.
-Desbutal was methamphetamine and pentobarbital (Desoxyn+Nembutal).
-Ambar was methamphetamines and phenobarbital.
-Amphedroxyn was methamphetamine hcl, in pills and liquid.
-Appetrol was dextroamphetamine and meprobamate (Equanil, a tranquilizer)
-Coricidin Forte was a buncha stuff, caffeine and methamphetamine (like 2.5mg)
-Efroxine was methamphetamine tablets and elixir.
-Norodin was methamphetamine.
-Obedrin was vitamins, pentobarbital, and methamphetamine.
-Raphetamine was amphetamine phosphate, came in injectable liquid and tablets.
- Ritalin doesn't need explaining.
-Syndrox was methamphetamine.
Barbiturates:
Nembutal - pentobarbital
Luminal - phenobarbital (long acting barb.)
Tuinal - Amobarbital (medium acting barb.) and pentobarbital (short acting barb.)
Seconal - secobarbital (short acting)
Amytal - Amobarbital
and "non-barbiturate" tranquilizers that were just as addictive, such as Miltown, Mebaral, Placidyl, Quaalude, Ultran, Premo, Doriden, and Thorazine (major tranquilizer).
Also, there were painkillers such as Demerol, Dilaudid, Methadone, Numorphan (oxymorphone), Levorphan, Dromoran, and Percodan.
I'm not in my fifties, and have never seen any of these drugs (except Dexedrine), by the way. Can't tell you how they were as far as effects go, but if I could go back in time I'd definately buy a lot of Desbutal, Dexamyl, Benzedrine, Amytal, and Tuinal.