analgesic

An analgesic is a remedy that reduces or relieves pain. It especially refers to pain relief medicine, such as acetaminophen.

Analgesics also include drugs known as NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), such as ibuprofen.

Analgesic can also be used as an adjective describing things that have pain-relieving effects, as in the analgesic properties of certain herbs.

Analgesic comes from the word analgesia, which means a lessening of pain or the absence of pain.

Example: Aspirin is a well-known and commonly used analgesic.

The first records of analgesic come from the 1800s. It’s based on the word analgesia, which comes from the Greek analgēsía, meaning “painless.” The word is a combination of the prefix an-, meaning “without,” and the Greek algein, meaning “to feel pain” (the English word algesia means “sensitivity to pain”).

Analgesic is a medical term, but pain relief is such a common topic that the word has become somewhat commonly recognized by people who are not medical professionals. Analgesics come in many forms, including gels and injections, but they are most commonly used in pill form. Mild analgesics are sold at the drugstore, while more powerful ones are prescribed or used to treat patients at the hospital. NSAIDs are a specific type of analgesics that treat inflammation.

Analgesics dull pain or mask the feeling. They should not be confused with anesthetics, which are intended to remove all sensation and sometimes cause unconsciousness.

What are some other forms related to analgesic?

• analgesia (noun)

What are some synonyms for analgesic?

• analgetic
• painkiller
• pain reliever
• pain-relieving
• anodyne

What are some words that share a root or word element with analgesic? 

• algesia
• anesthetic

What are some words that often get used in discussing analgesic?

• pain
• medicine
• medication
• drug
• remedy
• properties
• topical

Analgesic is most often used to refer to over-the-counter painkillers, like aspirin, acetaminophen, and ibuprofen, but it can also refer to more powerful ones.

Acetaminophen is a centrally acting antipyretic and analgesic, but it does not exhibit peripheral anti-inflammatory activity.

— Dr.AP (@pharmworldofAP) April 19, 2020

The analgesic effects of isometric exercise are not specific to the tissue being loaded. https://t.co/VE0MFNEzPy

— Derek Griffin (@DerekGriffin86) January 3, 2017

Reengineering the Analgesic Ladder for Critically Ill Patients via @PulmCrit https://t.co/EHqMjgUm8G #FOAMed pic.twitter.com/0jDx8acdry

— Salim R. Rezaie, MD (@srrezaie) June 6, 2017

True or False? 

All analgesics are NSAIDs.