Certification of Pharmacy Technicians (ExCPT) Practice Exam

Lidoderm is classified as which type of medication?

1. Analgesic

2. Antianxiety

3. Anesthetic

4. Antidepressant

The correct answer is: Anesthetic

Lidoderm is classified as a local anesthetic, which is why it falls under the category of anesthetics. It contains lidocaine, a medication that works by blocking nerve signals in the body, thus numbing the area where it is applied. This is useful for relieving pain in conditions such as postherpetic neuralgia, where nerve pain occurs after shingles. While analgesics also serve the purpose of pain relief, they work through different mechanisms and are not necessarily localized like lidocaine patches. Antianxiety medications are designed to relieve anxiety disorders, and antidepressants are used to treat depression, making those classifications irrelevant to the function of Lidoderm. The specific action of Lidoderm in blocking nerve signal transmission aligns it precisely with the anesthetic classification.