Rest and Digest 101
This branch of the autonomic nervous system slows heart rate and increases digestion.
Parasympathetic Nervous System
Used for urinary retention, this cholinergic agonist contracts the bladder muscle.
Bethanechol
This classic muscarinic antagonist is used to dilate pupils for eye exams.
Atropine
I’m an eye drop that shrinks pupils and drains fluid for glaucoma.
Pilocarpine
This drug can cause you to sweat more because it stimulates muscarinic receptors in sweat glands.
Cholinergic agonist
The main neurotransmitter of the parasympathetic nervous system.
Ach (Acetylcholine)
Pilocarpine is often used in the treatment of this eye condition.
Glaucoma
This antimuscarinic drug is commonly used to prevent motion sickness.
Scopolamine
I block muscarinic receptors and am often given before surgery to reduce secretions.
Glycopyrrolate
High doses of this “eye drop” plant toxin can cause hallucinations, confusion, and death.
Atropine / Belladonna alkaloids?
The type of receptor located on smooth muscle, cardiac muscle, and glands that responds to acetylcholine.
Muscarinic Receptor
These drugs block acetylcholinesterase, increasing acetylcholine at the synapse.
Cholinesterase inhibitors (Anticholinesterase)
This muscarinic antagonist is used in asthma/COPD to cause bronchodilation.
Ipratropium
I can be used to treat myasthenia gravis and reverse neuromuscular blockade after surgery.
Neostigmine
Soldiers once carried autoinjectors of this drug to counteract nerve gas exposure.
Atropine
Rest-and-digest activation will constrict this part of the eye to reduce light entry.
Pupil/Miosis
This short-acting acetylcholinesterase inhibitor was historically used to diagnose myasthenia gravis.
Edrophonium
These drugs are nicknamed “parasympatholytics” because they do this to parasympathetic activity.
Inhibit/Block it
I’m a natural alkaloid from deadly nightshade, used in modern medicine for bradycardia.
Atropine
This “SLUDGE” mnemonic describes the effects of overstimulating which system?
Parasympathetic / cholinergic system
This cranial nerve carries most parasympathetic fibers to thoracic and abdominal organs.
Vagus nerve/ Cranial Nerve X
This indirect cholinergic agonist can reverse atropine toxicity because it crosses the blood-brain barrier.
Physostigmine
Dry mouth, blurred vision, urinary retention, and constipation are classic signs of this type of drug.
Anticholinergics / cholinergic antagonists
I’m a quaternary ammonium compound used in inhalers for long-term COPD control.
Tiotropium
This alkaloid antagonist is used to dilate pupils during eye exams by blocking parasympathetic input.
Tropicamide