Which among the following is not an Analgesic ?

The correct answer is Option (4) → Ranitidine

Analgesics are drugs that reduce or abolish pain without impairing consciousness. They are of two kinds:

• Non-narcotic (non-addictive) analgesics: aspirin and paracetamol. They relieve skeletal pain, as in arthritis, and also lower fever.

• Narcotic analgesics: morphine and its homologues, such as codeine and heroin. They are obtained from the opium poppy (opiates), relieve severe pain and produce sleep, and are addictive.

Ranitidine (Zantac) is not a pain killer. It is an antihistamine used as an antacid: it stops histamine from acting on the receptors in the stomach wall, so less acid is released.

• Option (1) Morphine — An analgesic. The main narcotic analgesic, the alkaloid of opium.

• Option (2) Heroin — An analgesic. Diacetylmorphine, a narcotic analgesic made from morphine.

• Option (3) Codeine — An analgesic. The methyl ether of morphine, a milder narcotic analgesic.

• Option (4) Ranitidine — Not an analgesic (an antacid). It stops histamine from acting on the stomach wall, so less acid is released.

Note: This question is from the pre-rationalised NCERT book (2022-23). The topic is not there in the latest NCERT book (2026-27), and it is also out of the CUET 2026 syllabus.

NCERT (Pre-rationalised edition, 2022-23):
Analgesics