4.4: ANS Medication Classes and Nursing Considerations

Nursing Pharmacology · LibreTexts

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    From LibreTexts, under CC BY 4.0, as the source states it; its equations are written in TeX, which the PDF shows typeset. This page at LibreTexts.

    Classes of medication, categorized according to neuroreceptor, are further discussed in more detail below. Table 4.2[1] contrasts agonist and antagonist medications for each ANS neuroreceptor.

    Table 4:2 Comparison of Prototype Medications that Stimulate Versus Inhibit PNS and SNS Receptors

    Receptor

    Stimulation (Agonist)

    Inhibition (Antagonist)
    Nicotine Nicotine is a muscle relaxant with CNS effects. Nicotine patch is used for nicotine addiction by slowly reducing dose and avoiding withdrawal effects Not clinically applicable
    Muscarinic Pilocarpine causes muscle contraction; assists with glaucoma by contracting ciliary muscle and draining fluid Atropine in small doses inhibits secretions; in moderate doses increases heart rate; in large doses decreases gastrointestinal motility
    Alpha-1 Pseudoephedrine and Phenylephrine cause vasoconstriction, decreased swelling of mucus membranes, and decreased secretions Tamsulosin relaxes smooth muscle in bladder/prostate to improve urine flow and also decreases blood pressure due to vasodilation
    Alpha-2 Clonidine decreases CNS outflow to treat ADHD and also reduces blood pressure and heart rate Limited clinical use
    Beta-1 Dobutamine increases heart rate, force of heart contraction, and speed of conduction between SA to AV nodes Selective B blocker: Metoprolol works on Beta-1 receptors to decrease blood pressure and heart rate
    Beta-2 Albuterol used for bronchodilation Nonselective B blocker: Propranolol works on Beta-2 and Beta-1 receptors; decreases blood pressure but can also cause bronchoconstriction
    Catecholamines stimulate multiple adrenergic receptors Epinephrine and Norepinephrine: stimulate alpha- and beta-receptors on target organs, causing increased heart rate and vasoconstriction for improved blood flow to essential organs

    Dopamine has dose-dependent effects that target arteries in the kidneys, heart, and brain

    		 Not clinically applicable

    Supplementary Videos: See the supplementary videos below related to sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system medications.

    Sympathetic Nervous System Drugs

    [2]

    Parasympathetic Nervous System Drugs

    [3]

    1. This work is a derivative of Daily Med by U.S. National Library of Medicine in the public domain↵
    2. Forciea, B. (2018, January 12). Sympathetic nervous system drugs. [Video]. YouTube. All rights reserved. Video used with permission. https://youtu.be/-e_s-jTPtm4↵
    3. Forciea, B. (2018, February 2). Parasympathetic nervous system drugs. [Video]. YouTube. All rights reserved. Video used with permission. https://youtu.be/ZSRk_NkbBPg↵

    This page titled 4.4: ANS Medication Classes and Nursing Considerations was last modified on Fri, 03 Feb 2023 02:58:35 GMT and is shared under a CC BY 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Ernstmeyer & Christman (Eds.) (OpenRN) via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform.