Decompression sickness (DCS) is a series of symptoms and signs caused by bubbles in blood vessels or tissue with dissolved inert gas due to the rapid or excessive reduction of environmental pressure, which can threaten life safety in severe case. At present, recompression oxygen inhalation therapy is the main treatment of DCS, but it cannot meet the treatment needs of severe DCS, and drug adjuvant therapy is still needed. However, the optional drugs for the prevention and treatment of DCS are limited, and no specific drugs have been found. Over the years, scholars have been constantly exploring drugs for the DCS therapy, such as antiplatelet drugs, anti-inflammatory drugs, antioxidant drugs, bubble ablation drugs, and traditional Chinese medicine. Among them, traditional Chinese medicine may be a new direction in the field of prevention and treatment of DCS. This paper reviews the research progress of drug treatment of DCS since 1980s.