National Certified Addiction Counselor, Level 2 (NCAC II) Practice Exam Exam

Which type of drug is primarily used for pain relief?

1. Sedative

2. Analgesic

3. Anesthetic

4. Anticonvulsant

The correct answer is: Analgesic

The type of drug primarily used for pain relief is an analgesic. Analgesics are specifically designed to alleviate pain without causing an individual to lose consciousness. They work through various mechanisms in the body to inhibit pain signals or alter the perception of pain, making them a fundamental aspect of pain management in medical practice. While sedatives help calm the central nervous system and may assist in pain relief indirectly by reducing anxiety, they are not directly aimed at alleviating physical pain. Anesthetics, on the other hand, are used to induce a loss of sensation (and often consciousness) for surgical procedures rather than for managing pain in the usual context. Anticonvulsants are utilized primarily to treat seizures and certain types of nerve pain but are not classified as analgesics. Therefore, among the choices given, the analgesic is specifically geared toward the purpose of pain relief, making it the most accurate answer.