Assistant Laboratory Animal Technician (ALAT) Practice Exam

What is the term for substances used to relieve pain?

1. Antibiotics

2. Analgesics

3. Anesthetics

4. Paracetamol

The correct answer is: Analgesics

The term for substances used to relieve pain is analgesics. Analgesics are specifically designed to alleviate discomfort and reduce the sensation of pain. They function in various ways, either by interfering with pain signaling pathways in the nervous system or by acting on specific receptors in the body that modulate pain perception. Antibiotics are a class of medication used to treat bacterial infections, not to relieve pain, and they do not have a role in direct pain management. Anesthetics, while they can include substances that induce a state of insensitivity to pain, are primarily used during medical procedures to prevent feeling pain altogether, rather than to relieve ongoing pain. Paracetamol, often recognized as a common analgesic itself, is just one example of an analgesic, rather than a term that encompasses all substances used for pain relief. Therefore, the broader and more accurate term for substances that specifically relieve pain is indeed analgesics.