🧠 Nervous System🟢 BasicAutonomic Pharmacology

Antimuscarinic (Anticholinergic) Drugs

Drugs that block the muscarinic actions of acetylcholine, used to dry secretions, relax smooth muscle and speed the heart.

Key points

Antimuscarinic drugs such as atropine block the muscarinic acetylcholine receptors, opposing the parasympathetic nervous system.
They speed the heart, widen the pupils, dry the secretions, relax the gut and bladder muscle, and reduce sweating.
Atropine is used for a very slow heart and to dry secretions, while hyoscine helps motion sickness.
Ipratropium and tiotropium are inhaled to widen the airways in airways disease.
In excess the picture is dry as a bone, red as a beet, hot as a hare, blind as a bat and mad as a hatter.

Memory trick

Antimuscarinics (atropine) block muscarinic receptors and oppose the parasympathetic system: fast heart, big pupils, dry, relaxed gut and bladder; toxidrome is dry, red, hot, blind and mad.

All of Pharmacology More Nervous System

Next in Pharmacology · Nervous System

Loading…

🧠 Nervous System🟢 BasicAutonomic Pharmacology

Antimuscarinic (Anticholinergic) Drugs

Drugs that block the muscarinic actions of acetylcholine, used to dry secretions, relax smooth muscle and speed the heart.

Key points

Antimuscarinic drugs such as atropine block the muscarinic acetylcholine receptors, opposing the parasympathetic nervous system.
They speed the heart, widen the pupils, dry the secretions, relax the gut and bladder muscle, and reduce sweating.
Atropine is used for a very slow heart and to dry secretions, while hyoscine helps motion sickness.
Ipratropium and tiotropium are inhaled to widen the airways in airways disease.
In excess the picture is dry as a bone, red as a beet, hot as a hare, blind as a bat and mad as a hatter.

Memory trick

Antimuscarinics (atropine) block muscarinic receptors and oppose the parasympathetic system: fast heart, big pupils, dry, relaxed gut and bladder; toxidrome is dry, red, hot, blind and mad.

All of Pharmacology More Nervous System