Q.Analgesics and antibiotics are drugs having different therapeutic actions. Define each class of drugs.
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Classification of Drugs
Drugs (chemicals that interact with macromolecular targets to produce a biological response) are classified in several complementary ways:
- On pharmacological effect — the kind of biological response, e.g. analgesics relieve pain, antipyretics reduce fever. Useful to a physician choosing a treatment.
- On drug action — the biochemical process a drug blocks, e.g. antihistamines inhibit the action of histamine.
- On chemical structure — drugs sharing a common skeleton and similar pharmacological activity, e.g. the sulphonamides.
- On molecular target — the biomolecule (enzyme or receptor) with which the drug interacts; drugs with the same mechanism act on the same target. This classification is the most useful for medicinal chemists. …
Analgesics and antibiotics are drugs with entirely different therapeutic targets, one acting on the perception of pain and the other on disease-causing microorganisms.
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Analgesics relieve pain; antibiotics kill or inhibit disease-causing microorganisms -- they are drugs with different therapeutic targets entirely.
Analgesics: Drugs used to reduce or abolish pain, without causing disturbance of the nervous system (i.e. without loss of consciousness). They act by reducing the sensation of pain, either centrally (on the CNS, e.g. narcotic analgesics like morphine) or peripherally (at the site of pain, e.g. non-narcotic analgesics like aspirin, which also has anti-inflammatory and antipyretic action).
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- CBSE 2025Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.Which one of the following types of drugs reduces fever?(a) Antipyretic(b) Antihistamine(c) Antibiotic(d) Tranquilizer
›Reveal solutionSolution
Antipyretics act on the body's temperature-regulating centre to bring down an elevated (feverish) body temperature.
Drugs are classified by their therapeutic action. An antipyretic (e.g. paracetamol, aspirin) lowers body temperature when it is raised above normal due to fever, by acting on the hypothalamic heat-regulating centre and reducing prostaglandin synthesis. In contrast, an antihistamine counters allergic reactions (blocking hista …
- CBSE 2023Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.Barbituric acid is an example of(a) Tranquilizer(b) Antibiotic(c) Analgesic(d) Antacid
›Reveal solutionSolution
Barbituric acid and its derivatives depress central nervous system activity, placing them in the tranquilizer (sedative-hypnotic) class of drugs.
Barbituric acid derivatives (barbiturates, e.g. veronal, luminal) are neurologically active compounds that depress the central nervous system, used clinically as sedatives, h …
- CBSE 2023Set ANNUAL1 markQ.Name any one antacid.
›Reveal solutionSolution
An antacid neutralises excess stomach acid; common examples include mild bases like sodium bicarbonate and magnesium hydroxide.
Antacids are basic compounds that neutralise the excess hydrochloric acid produced in the stomach, relieving acidity/heartburn. Sodium bicarbonate (baking soda, NaHCO3) is a simple, classic example (NaHCO3 + HCl -> NaCl + H2O + CO2); Milk of Magne …
- CBSE 2023Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.Which of the following is an analgesic?(a) Equanil(b) Aspirin(c) Ofloxacin(d) Salvarsan
›Reveal solutionSolution
Aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) is a classic non-narcotic analgesic and antipyretic.
Among the options: Equanil (meprobamate) is a tranquilliser used for anxiety; Ofloxacin is a fluoroquinolone antibacterial (antibiotic); Salvarsan (an organoarsenic compound) was a historic antisyphilitic (antibacterial) drug used before modern antibiotics. Aspirin, by contrast, inhibit …
- CBSE 2022Set HE2181 markMCQQ.Which is Tranquilizer in the following?(a) Seconal(b) Streptomycine(c) Morphine(d) Paracetamol
›Reveal solutionSolution
Among the four, only Seconal is a tranquilizer (a barbiturate sedative); the others belong to different drug classes.
Drugs are classified by the biological effect they produce:
- Tranquilizers (e.g. Seconal, Equanil, Valium) act on the central nervous system to relieve anxiety, stress and mental tension, and induce sleep in higher doses.
- Antibiotics (e.g. Streptomycin, Penicillin) kill or stop the growth of microorganisms. …
- CBSE 2022Set HE2181 markQ.Fill in the blank: Furacin is ______ drug.
›Reveal solutionSolution
Furacin is a synthetic antibacterial drug used as a topical antiseptic on wounds and burns.
Furacin (nitrofurazone) belongs to the nitrofuran class of synthetic antimicrobial agents. Unlike antibiotics, which are produced by microorganisms, synthetic antibacterials like furacin are chemically manufactured compounds that kill or inhibit the growth of disease-ca …
- CBSE 2022Set HE2181 markQ.Answer in one word/sentence: Write the name of any one antipyretic.
›Reveal solutionSolution
Paracetamol is a widely used antipyretic that lowers body temperature during fever by acting on the brain's temperature-regulating centre.
Antipyretics reduce fever without necessarily having other analgesic/anti-inflammatory strength; paracetamol (acetaminophen) is the most common example (sold as Crocin, Calpol, etc. in India), acting on the hypothalamic heat-regulating centre. Aspirin (acetylsal …
- CBSE 2020Set ANNUAL1 markQ.Give an example of Tranquillizer.
›Reveal solutionSolution
Tranquilizers are a class of psychoactive drugs used to relieve anxiety, stress, and mild mental disorders, acting on the central nervous system.
Tranquilizers form part of the neurologically active drugs used to treat stress, mild or severe mental diseases, and to control anxiety. Well-known examples include:
- Meprobamate (marketed as Equanil), used to relieve anxiety and mild depression. …
- CBSE 2020Set ANNUAL1 markQ.The synthesis of proteins is governed by RNA.
›Reveal solutionSolution
True. Messenger RNA carries the genetic code from DNA to the ribosome, where it directs the sequence of amino acids assembled into a protein.
While DNA is the ultimate repository of genetic information, protein synthesis itself is directly governed and carried out with the help of RNA. The genetic information in DNA is first transcribed into messenger RNA (mRNA); this mRNA then moves to the ribosome, where its codons are 'read' and matched by transfer RNA (tRNA) molecules carrying specific amino acids, which are joined in the sequence specified by the mRNA (translation) to build the protein …
- CBSE 2019Set ANNUAL1 markQ.What are Analgesics ?
›Reveal solutionSolution
Analgesics are pain-relieving drugs, divided into narcotic and non-narcotic types.
Analgesics reduce or abolish pain (ache, hurt) sensation without causing unconsciousness, in contrast to general anaesthetics.
They are classified into two broad groups:
- Narcotic (opioid) analgesics — e.g. morphine, codeine, heroin. These act on the central nervous system, are used for severe pain (post-surgical, terminal illness), but are habit-forming/addictive and can depress respiration in overdose. …
- CBSE 2018Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.The class of drugs used for the treatment of cut or wound is :(a) Tranquillizers(b) Antiseptics(c) Antihistamins(d) Antipyretic
›Reveal solutionSolution
Antiseptics are the class of drugs applied directly on cuts, wounds, ulcers and diseased skin to kill/inhibit microorganisms; the correct choice is (b) Antiseptics.
Looking at the options:
- Tranquillizers act on the central nervous system to relieve mental stress, anxiety or tension — used in treating mental disorders, not wounds.
- Antiseptics are applied to living tissue (cuts, wounds, ulcers, diseased skin) to kill or prevent the growth of microorganisms without harming the tissue itself — e.g. dilute iodine (tincture of iodine), boric acid, furacin, soframycin. …
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