Question

Which of the following is an analgesic drug?
A) Barbiturates
B) Penicillin
C) Ranitidine
D) Paracetamol

Answer 1

Among the options, we can check the uses of the given drugs and observe which has properties and uses similar to that of analgesic drugs be it from the narcotic or non-narcotic category.

Complete answer:
The drugs responsible for the decrease in any kind of pain without having other harmful effects like lack of consciousness etc. are referred to as analgesic drugs. For example aspirin, morphine, and many more.
These can belong to both narcotic and non – narcotic categories.
Narcotic drugs are addictive and can have ill effects whereas non – narcotic drugs are non - addictive and have fewer chances to produce ill effects.
Checking the options:
A) Barbiturates: This is a tranquilizer, used as nervous depressants (reduce anxiety and similar issues) allowing the nerves to relax but is responsible for affecting neurotransmitters (responsible for nerve communication).
B) Penicillin: It is an antibiotic that behaves as an antibody to fight against bacteria and is used to treat infections caused by susceptible bacteria.
C) Ranitidine: It is an antihistamine that reduces stomach acid, an excessive amount of which is harmful but can have bad effects on the stomach like constipation. It can be also used to treat skin allergies
None of the above drugs is analgesic.
D) Paracetamol: It is a drug belonging to a non-narcotic category that is used to relieve the pain and sufferings caused by any reason in the human body without having any harmful effects on nerve impulses.
Therefore, among all the given drugs, paracetamol is an analgesic drug.

Hence the correct answer is option D).

Note: Non-narcotic analgesic drugs are always advised to be taken over narcotic analgesics as the narcotic ones can be sometimes responsible for causing numbness and unconsciousness.