Atropine is an anticholinergic medication primarily used to treat certain types of poisonings (including nerve agent and organophosphate pesticide poisoning), symptomatic bradycardia (slow heart rate), and various ophthalmic conditions such as dilating pupils for eye exams and managing amblyopia.
Its main uses include:
- Treatment of nerve agent and organophosphate pesticide poisoning: Atropine counters muscarinic symptoms caused by toxic exposure, such as excessive secretions, bronchospasm, and bradycardia[4].
- Management of symptomatic bradycardia: Atropine injections are used to increase heart rate in cases of unstable or symptomatic bradycardia and some types of heart block[1][5][7].
- Ophthalmic use: Atropine is used as a mydriatic (to dilate the pupil) and cycloplegic (to paralyze accommodation), typically for treating inflammatory eye conditions (like uveitis) and for penalization therapy in amblyopia. It is also used off-label to slow myopia progression in children[1][3].
- Reduction of secretions: Atropine can decrease saliva and respiratory secretions before surgery, alleviate excessive drooling (sialorrhea), and reduce mucus production[2][6][7].
- Adjunct in gastrointestinal conditions: Atropine is used in combination with other drugs to help manage acute nonspecific diarrhea and certain digestive system disorders[2][3].
- Other less common uses: These include reducing symptoms in certain neurological diseases (e.g., Parkinson’s disease), managing some types of intestinal spasms, and as part of diagnostic imaging procedures[2][8].
References
- [1] Atropine – Wikipedia
- [2] Atropine – EBSCO
- [3] Atropine: Uses, Interactions, Mechanism of Action – DrugBank
- [4] Atropine Sulfate – Medical Countermeasures Database – CHEMM
- [5] Atropine – StatPearls – NCBI Bookshelf
- [6] Atropine sulfate 1% w/v eye drops used in the mouth for excess saliva
- [7] Atropine (Atropine): Side Effects, Uses, Dosage, … – RxList
- [8] What is Atropine Injection? – Columbia Doctors