Prescription Drugs Trivia

1. Acetylsalicylic acid is an effective analgesic (pain reliever) and antipyretic (fever reducer). It was developed from willow tree bark, and is the main content of which widely used medicine?

From Quiz Drugs: Chemical Cures Comforts and Cautions

Answer: Aspirin

Aspirin is one of the most widely used drugs in the world. After hundreds of years of using the willow tree bark to treat fevers, salicylic acid was isolated as the active substance it contained, and was used instead of the bark. But when taken orally, stomach cramps could result. Other forms of salicylic acid, such as salol and sodium salicylate, were synthesized, but they still had some undesirable qualities. In 1853 acetylsalicylic acid was produced by reacting salicylic acid with acetic anhydride, and was introduced as a drug in 1899 by the German Baeyer Company under the brand name of aspirin.

From Quiz Essential Medicines For Children

Answer: Intravenously

Propofol is a widely used anesthetic agent in surgeries. It is used as an inductive and maintenance agent. It is short acting. The main side effect of this drug is pain in the vein of injection. Other adverse effects are hypotension and vasodilation. In children, propofol can be used in sedation - before, during and after surgery. It used to alleviate their anxiety during procedures like an MRI scan and endoscopy. It has a good record of efficiency in children with minimal side effects.

From Quiz Antidotes!

Answer: Naloxone (Narcan)

A patient with known or suspected narcotic overdose will receive intravenous naloxone at frequent intervals (every 2-3 minutes) until his respiratory rate is in a satisfactory range. Only small doses are given, since too much Narcan at once can result in immediate and extremely unpleasant withdrawal symptoms.

From Quiz Pharmacology A to Z

Answer: ACE Inhibitors

ACE inhibitors, ARBs, diuretics, beta blockers, and calcium channel blockers can all aid in treating hypertension (high blood pressure). The most common side effect of ACEI is a cough.

From Quiz Drugs, Colorful Drugs

Answer: Pink

Just like that cartoon panther.

From Quiz How is That Drug Supplied?

Answer: Intravenous injection

Many drugs are available as injections only. Succinylcholine (or 'sux,' as it is sometimes called) is a powerful paralyzing agent used to facilitate intubation (insertion of a tube into the trachea as a means for artificial respiration or general anesthesia). Vecuronium and rocuronium are two other drugs used for this purpose. Sux should be stored in the refrigerator for the long term, but unopened vials are good at room temperature for up to 90 days.

From Quiz Drugs From Plants

Answer: Aspirin

Hippocrates recorded the use of powdered bark and leaf of willow tree being used as a painkiller and it has been used in this way by many cultures right up until the nineteenth century. In 1829 it was discovered that a compound called salicin was what gave the pain relief. From this salicylic acid was extracted and was used instead of the raw product. Unfortunately, this was very irritant to the stomach and so in 1853 a French chemist called Frederic Gerhardt developed acetylsalicylic acid which was much less irritant. He had no desire to market it though and so it remained merely a chemical discovery until 1899 when a German chemist named Felix Hoffmann rediscovered it. He worked for the German company Bayer (who are still in existence today) and persuaded them to market the compound. The name Aspirin was actually a trade or brand name originally and was made up from the A of acetyl chloride used to make it, the "spir" from the plant name spiraea ulmaria where the salicylic acid came from and given the ending "in" which was familiar to the public as a name ending for medicines. Aspirin was sold as a powder and remained a trademark of Bayer until after World War 1 when the company was forced to give it up as part of the Treaty of Versailles. Nowadays aspirin is the generic name for acetylsalicylic acid and it used probably more as an anti-platelet agent to prevent clot formation in people with heart disease than as a painkiller. However, it remains an important part of modern medicine.

From Quiz Measuring Medicine: Milligrams, Moles, and More

Answer: As a percentage

Lidocaine comes in a variety of dosage forms, including injectable, topical jelly, and oral / topical viscous solution. Common strengths are 1%, 2% and 4%. One percent lidocaine means that there is one gram of lidocaine in one hundred total milliliters of liquid solution. In addition to being a very useful topical anesthetic, lidocaine is also a cardiac antiarrhythmic - it can restore normal heart rhythm when injected intravenously during a cardiac emergency.

From Quiz The $25000 Drug Pyramid Part II

Answer: NSAIDs (Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs)

Ibuprofen comes in 200, 400, 600, and 800mg tablets, as well as an oral suspension. NSAIDs are very useful for relieving the pain and inflammation associated with arthritis and other conditions or injuries. Some other NSAIDs are ketorolac (Toradol), sulindac (Clinoril), meloxicam (Mobic), and naproxen (Aleve). NSAIDs should be taken with food, and never more than the prescribed dose, as they can have negative side effects (sometimes serious) on the digestive system.

From Quiz The $25000 Drug Pyramid Part I

Answer: Aspirin

Aspirin is a salicylate analgesic (pain reliever) as well as an antiplatelet agent. (Simply put, it's a "blood thinner" that inhibits the formation of blood clots, thereby preventing a stroke or a heart attack.) It is also a fever reducer. If you have ever seen the abbreviation ASA and wondered what it meant, well, it means aspirin! APAP is the abbreviation for acetaminophen, also known as Tylenol.

From Quiz What a Pain!

Answer: Aspirin

Aspirin was originally derived from willow bark and is one of the oldest known pain remedies. Around 400 BC, Hippocrates wrote of a powder obtained from willow bark that lessened pain and reduced fever. Native Americans also used a derivative of willow bark to treat pain and fever. Antiplatelet drugs block the formation of blood clots by not allowing platelets to clump together. Aspirin does this by blocking production of thromboxane, a chemical platelets produce which causes clumping. Ibuprofen is an over the counter pain reliever and anti-inflammatory drug. Witch hazel is a topical astringent. Many analgesics were sold in powder form before the manufacture of tablets became commonplace.

From Quiz Australian Medications

Answer: Paracetamol

Yes, acetaminophen is paracetamol. Handy to know if you are travelling between two countries and you have a headache. Paracetamol (on its own) can be purchased in Australia from supermarkets, service (gas) stations, and even my local video store. In combination with other stronger pain-killing agents it may only be available from the local chemist (drugstore).

From Quiz Pharmacotherapy 4

Answer: ASA (Aspirin)

Post MI (myocardial infarction, or heart-attack), the anti-platelet properties of low-dose (81mg) ASA greatly reduce the likelihood of having a second heart attack. For an over-the-counter medication, that's a very important role.

From Quiz Pharmacotherapy 2

Answer: Amoxil

Cipro (ciprofloxacin), Levaquin (levofloxacin), and Noroxin (norfloxacin) are all members of the fluoroquinolone class of antibiotics. Amoxil is amoxicillin, a member of the penicillin family of beta-lactam antibiotics.

From Quiz Prescription Drugs in the US

Answer: Antibiotic

Zyvox is a new antibiotic indicated for the treatment of vancomycin resistant infections. These infections are very severe and do not respond to other antibiotics. Vancomycin has been reserved for infections not responding to other antibiotics, however mutations have made some bacteria resistant to this last resort drug prompting research into new antibiotics such as Zyvox.

From Quiz Pharmaceutical Knowledge

Answer: apothecary system

From Quiz Drugs: Chemical Cures Comforts and Cautions

Answer: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs

The term differentiates them from the more dangerous steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (steroids) like cortisone and prednisone. The human body produces prostaglandins, which regulate many biochemical processes in the body and send pain messages to the brain, in all its tissues. By inhibiting the production of prostaglandins, NSAIDS relieve pain; therefore, NSAIDS do not actually cure pain, but kill the messengers. Pyrogens, fever inducing substances, are also produced by the prostaglandins, so NSAIDS also reduce fevers. Some common NSAIDS include aspirin, ibuprofen and naproxen.

From Quiz The Magic of Medicine

Answer: Benign prostatic hyperplasia

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) causes urinary discomfort in men. They present with urinary flow and stream issues because the prostate enlarges and causes pressure and obstruction of the urethra. Finasteride is the generic name for the medication that helps with reducing the size of the prostate by blocking a hormone. This same drug is prescribed at lower doses to assist with male-pattern baldness.

From Quiz Essential Medicines For Children

Answer: Paracetamol

Paracetamol is used as an analgesic and an antipyretic, i.e. fever medicine. Some common trade names are Tylenol and Panadol. It is an over-the-counter drug. Continuous usage can cause toxicity, leading to liver damage. N-acetylcystine is the antidote to paracetamol poisoning. In children, it is usually used for fever and to alleviate pain. The dosage used is usually used is around 15 milligrams per kilogram of weight. So if the child weighs 20 kilograms, then the dosage is 300 milligrams. Pediatricians advise a maximum of 90 milligrams per kilogram, if necessary and no more.

From Quiz Impossible Drug Salts

Answer: Dabigatran etexilate mesylate

Pradaxa was introduced to the U.S. market in 2010. Its advantages over traditional anticoagulants include a greatly reduced interaction profile, simplified dosing (with regard to strength), and less frequent (if any) follow-up blood testing.

From Quiz Pharmacology A to Z

Answer: bradycardia (heart rate <60 bpm)

Beta blockers block the effects of the sympathetic nervous system, therefore lowering the heart rate. Beta blockers are a treatment option for hypertension.

From Quiz Everything's Under Control

Answer: Form 222

Schedule II drugs ... Form 222 ... coincidence? DEA Form 41 is used when destroying expired or unneeded drugs from schedules III, IV, and V. DEA Form 106 should be filled out when controlled substances have been lost or stolen. And of course, IRS form 1040 is a tax form.

From Quiz A Lesson In Pharmacology

Answer: Rat poison

Believe it or not, the active ingredient in coumadin is warfarin. Warfarin is the same ingredient in rat poison. Warfarin can slow the clotting process. When this is used therapeutically is can stop unnecessary blood clots from forming. If too much is taken then it can cause uncontrollable bleeding. The best way to manage it is using lab tests called PT/INRs.

From Quiz Drugs From Plants

Answer: Heroin

Heroin was originally a trademark owned by Bayer, a German chemical company. The drug itself is diamorphine, or diacetylmorphine, made by acetylating morphine and was discovered in 1874 by an English chemist, C Alder Wright who was working at St Mary's Hospital in London. Bayer rediscovered it and marketed it in 1898. The name Heroin was possibly coined because it made people who took it feel heroic or because of the drug's heroic effect on pain. It was also used as a cough suppressant. Nowadays it is still used in some countries as a potent analgesic and is particularly useful in controlling pain in people with terminal cancer or other conditions when pain is difficult to control. However, its popularity as a drug of abuse has meant that it is strictly controlled and is probably better known as a street drug than for its legitimate use.

From Quiz The $25000 Drug Pyramid Part II

Answer: Diphenhydramine (Benadryl)

Diphenhydramine may also be used in the short-term treatment of anxiety or insomnia, but patients can develop a tolerance fairly quickly to the sedating effects of antihistamines. In addition to the 25mg capsules already mentioned, diphenhydramine is available as 50mg capsules, an injection (50mg/ml), tablets (25 and 50mg), and an elixir (often cherry flavored, 12.5mg/5ml). My personal favorite is the topical cream. I always keep a tube handy, as it instantly relieves the itchy red little bug bite bumps I'm always getting. The little creepy-crawlies around here seem to love to feast on me for some reason.

From Quiz The $25000 Drug Pyramid Part I

Answer: Treats the symptoms of diarrhea

Also called Imodium, loperamide "slows things down." Bismuth subsalicyalte (Pepto-Bismol) is another other-the-counter remedy. A narcotic option for treating diarrhea is diphenoxylate-atropine (Lomotil), a C-V controlled substance. When deciding on an over-the-counter medication for diarrhea or any condition, always carefully read and follow the directions and warnings on the package, and ask your doctor or pharmacist if you are unsure of anything. Diarrhea can lead to more serious problems, or it may be a sign of an underlying condition.

From Quiz In the Pharmacy: The I.V. Room

Answer: Barrier isolator

Larger hospitals may also use a barrier isolator inside the cleanroom to prepare chemotherapeutic I.V. drugs. Chemotherapy can be very dangerous to healthy individuals, so mixing it in an isolated environment helps protect the pharmacist from being exposed to it.

From Quiz Antibiotics

Answer: Alexander Fleming

And the rest, as they say, is history. The mold elaborated a substance which killed the bacteria - we know the substance as penicillin. This story may be a bit apocryphal. The strain of Penicillium that yields the drug is not a common mold, and may have blown up to Fleming's lab from another lab feverishly working on the same idea.

From Quiz Australian Medications

Answer: Poisons Schedule

ALL drugs are poisons, and in Australia are classified according to a Poisons Schedule. The rules for where certain drugs can be sold vary from state to state, and in some states the pharmacist needs to record to whom the drugs were sold. In New South Wales, S2 drugs can only be sold in a pharmacy, S4 drugs can only be sold by having a prescription. Some of the "milder" narcotic painkillers are S4, whilst stronger narcotics (morphine for example) are S8 drugs. These drugs also require a prescription, however there are more rules regarding supply on them.

This is category 11842
Last Updated Oct 18 2025 5:47 AM

= Top 5% Rated Quiz, Top 10% Rated Quiz, Top 20% Rated Quiz, A Well Rated Quiz
= added recently, = Editor's Pick = FunTrivia Editor = Gold Member
Teachers / educators: FunTrivia welcomes the use of our website and quizzes in the classroom as a teaching aid or for preparing and testing students. See our education section. Our quizzes are printable and may be used as question sheets by k-12 teachers, parents, and home schoolers.

 ·  All questions, answers, and quiz content on this website is copyright FunTrivia, Inc and may not be reproduced without permission. Any images from TV shows and movies are copyright their studios, and are being used under "fair use" for commentary and education.