Pharmacology Question.

CrimsonAlchemist · Jun 4, 2011

1) 1) anticholinergics work by blocking acetylcholine (ach) although ach does slow the heart rate when functioning as an inhibitory neurotransmitter, it acts as an excitatory neurotransmitter at the neuromuscular junction. this is where the anticholinergic acts. it blocks the binding of ach to its’ receptors. in the pns, this slows down the involuntary movements of smooth muscle in the gastrointestinal tract, urinary tract, lungs, etc. if the muscles in the gi tract are slowed down, less acid is produced, which would inhibit the worsening of peptic ulcers and irritable bowel syndrome. as for the bradycardia, you answered the question yourself. anticholinergics do cause trachycardia, meaning that it will speed up the heart, causing it to cease being bradycardic.

2) 2) this was a tricky one. benztropine is used to counteract some side effects of parkinson’s disease. basically what i gleaned from my quick research was that if drooling, salivation, or excessive sweating are present, the dosage may need to be adjusted. drugs.com also mentioned something about inhibiting the body’s ability to regulate temperature. benztropine also act similarly to atropine and diphenhydramine. looking at the actions of those two as well might help you.

3) 3)urinary retention is a side effect of anticholinergics because as i mentioned in question 1, the smooth muscles are slowed down. if the muscles are relaxed, they are less apt to work hard to remove the waste and will cause retention.

4) 4) i don’t remember learning an easy way to learn the anti/cholinergic drugs…you just have to…learn them…memorization. note cards help. however, all the beta blockers end in –olol so that how i remember those.

i hope i helped and was able to explain everything clearly and succinctly. last semester, i took pharmacology in prep for my school’s nursing program. the best i can say is to keep good notes and that note cards really helped me. =d but, surprisingly, the pax-rn didn’t have that much pharm on it.

BacktotheBeach, ADN, BSN, RN · Jun 4, 2011

Here's what we were told to remember about side effects of anticholinergics and I think i will always remember it:

Can't see, Can't pee, can't spit, can't sh**

gigi19901 · Jun 4, 2011

1) 1) anticholinergics work by blocking acetylcholine (ach) although ach does slow the heart rate when functioning as an inhibitory neurotransmitter, it acts as an excitatory neurotransmitter at the neuromuscular junction. this is where the anticholinergic acts. it blocks the binding of ach to its’ receptors. in the pns, this slows down the involuntary movements of smooth muscle in the gastrointestinal tract, urinary tract, lungs, etc. if the muscles in the gi tract are slowed down, less acid is produced, which would inhibit the worsening of peptic ulcers and irritable bowel syndrome. as for the bradycardia, you answered the question yourself. anticholinergics do cause trachycardia, meaning that it will speed up the heart, causing it to cease being bradycardic.
2) 2) this was a tricky one. benztropine is used to counteract some side effects of parkinson’s disease. basically what i gleaned from my quick research was that if drooling, salivation, or excessive sweating are present, the dosage may need to be adjusted. drugs.com also mentioned something about inhibiting the body’s ability to regulate temperature. benztropine also act similarly to atropine and diphenhydramine. looking at the actions of those two as well might help you.
3) 3)urinary retention is a side effect of anticholinergics because as i mentioned in question 1, the smooth muscles are slowed down. if the muscles are relaxed, they are less apt to work hard to remove the waste and will cause retention.
4) 4) i don’t remember learning an easy way to learn the anti/cholinergic drugs…you just have to…learn them…memorization. note cards help. however, all the beta blockers end in –olol so that how i remember those.
i hope i helped and was able to explain everything clearly and succinctly. last semester, i took pharmacology in prep for my school’s nursing program. the best i can say is to keep good notes and that note cards really helped me. =d but, surprisingly, the pax-rn didn’t have that much pharm on it.

thanks soo much your your help and advice. i really do appreciate it!

CrimsonAlchemist · Jun 6, 2011

Glad I could help. I've never been very strong in maths and science...I was actually planning on teaching english or psychology...I was about halfway through getting a BS in Psych until last August when I switched to nursing and never looked back. =D Quite a turn around, lol

Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN · Jun 6, 2011

hello everyone! i am taking a pharmacology class and now i am studying the nervous system and how drugs affects it. i am having a few problems understanding the nclex-rn review questions. could anyone help explain the below questions for me.
1) therapeutic uses for anticholinergics include: (select all that apply.)
1. peptic ulcer disease : because the drugs are given to inhibit the secretion of the acids that irritate/ulcerate the stomach lining. stop the acids helps ulcer
2. bradycardia : becasue the drug atropine will affect the parasympathetic nervous system by increasing the heart rate......a side effect of anticholenergics is tachycardia.
3. decreased sexual function : again theses drugs cause a decrease in libido therefore won't be used as a treament to help sexual function unless of course you want to decrease desire...
4. irritable bowel syndrome : as someone already said side effect's can't see, can't pee, can't spit, can't sh@#. people with irritable bowel have at times irretractable diarrhea, anticholenergics therfore treat the diarrhea improving pain/cramping from diarrhea and hydration symptoms
5. urine retention : anticholenergics cause urine retention therefore it will not be used theraputically to treat urine retention
the correct answer is 1, 2, and 4.
my professor is always saying that we should think like a nurse in order to answer these questions. i don't understand why those 3 are answer choices. could someone please explain.
my thoughts are that if a drug is anticholinergic, then it will stop the parasympathetic response. your heart slows down under the parasympathetic system. so an aticholinergic drug would cause it to beat faster which is tachycardia, not bradycardia right?
2) the patient taking benztropine (cogentin) should be assessed for:
benztropine is used to treat the symptoms of parkinson's disease, such as muscle spasms, stiffness, tremors, sweating, drooling, and poor muscle control.
1. excessive sweating, salivation, and drooling : if they are drooling/salivation (a parkinson's symptom) an increase in dose may be indicated and sweating is the autoregulation malfunction accompanied by parkinson's disease and again dosage may be indicated
2. extreme constipation 3. hypertension and tachycardia 4. excessively dry eyes and reddened sclera : these all indicate too much of the anticholenergic may be present.
the correwct answer is 1. i understand why salivation and drooling is correct but according to the book, sweat gland are controlled only by the sympatheic nerves. so i don't understand why excessive sweating could be right.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmc487008/
3) my third question is why is urinary retention a side effect of anticholinergics?
3) and my last question is how do you know whether a drug is cholinergic, adrenergic, or anticholinergic whithout looking up the drug in the drug guide? no just study and experience. there are common drugs but you'll recognize them as having been mentioned before.
thanks everyone in advance!

http://www.parkinsons-information-exchange-network-online.com/drugdb/015.html

i hope this helps...

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