Certification of Pharmacy Technicians (ExCPT) Practice Exam

What is the term for a medication that reduces fever?

1. Analgesic

2. Antipyretic

3. Anti-inflammatory

4. Antidepressant

The correct answer is: Antipyretic

The correct term for a medication that reduces fever is antipyretic. Antipyretic agents function by acting on the hypothalamus, which regulates body temperature. When the body is fighting an infection or inflammation, the hypothalamus can elevate the body's temperature, resulting in fever. Antipyretics lower this elevated temperature by helping to reset the hypothalamic temperature set point, thus promoting heat loss through sweating and vasodilation. Analgesics, on the other hand, are medications primarily intended to relieve pain, and while some analgesics may also possess antipyretic properties (for example, acetaminophen), their main function is pain relief. Anti-inflammatory medications are used to reduce inflammation in the body and may also have fever-reducing effects, but they don't specifically target fever reduction in the way antipyretics do. Antidepressants are medications used to treat various types of depression and have no direct role in managing fever. Therefore, antipyretic is the most precise term for medications used to lower fever.