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GuideWisdom™

This WisdomCard managed by: Tara Salamone

Cholinergic agents are also known as cholinergic drugs or parasympathomimetic drugs.¹ They are drugs or poisons that mimic the action of acetylcholine in the brain.² Cholinergic agents effect the parasympathetic part of the autonomic nervous system and cause direct or indirect stimulation of acetylcholine receptors.²

Fast Facts:

• --An example of a well-known cholinergic agent is nicotine.³
• --Some chemical weapons and insecticides fall into this category of drugs.²
• --Cholinergic agents can be either direct-acting (i.e. plant alkaloids) or indirect-acting (i.e. reversible cholinesterase inhibitors).²

5 Great Resources on Cholinergic Agents

• Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine (via HealthAtoZ): Cholinergic Drugs
• Wikipedia: Parasympathomimetic Drugs
• WrongDiagnosis: Cholinergic Agents
• Science Signaling: Why Cholinergic Agents Help Alzheimer's Patients (May 13, 2003)
• Elmhurst College: Cholinergic Drugs I | Cholinergic Drugs II

5 Latest Headlines on Cholinergic Agents

• More Cholinergic Agents News from Topix

What are Cholinergic Agents?

• Medical-Dictionary: Cholinergic Agents
• Cancerweb: Cholinergic Agents
• MedRounds: A Patients Guide to Glaucoma- Cholinergic Agents

What Are The Uses for Cholinergic Agents?

• The Free Dictionary: Cholinergic Agents
• Answers.com: Cholinergic Stimulants
• PubMed: Potential Treatment For Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

What Are The Side Effects, Interactions and Precautions for Cholinergic Agents?

• eMedicine: Toxicity, Mushrooms - Muscarine
• DrugLib: Pilocarpine (Pilocarpine Hydrochloride) Warnings and Precautions
• Micromedex (via Drugs.com): Physostigmine Side Effects
• Drugs.com: Nicotine Side Effects
• Wikipedia: Cholinergic Crisis

What are the Holistic Alternatives to Cholinergic Agents?

• CareGroup: Parasympathomimetic Herbs
• DirectoryM: Phosphatidyl Choline DC
• Wikipedia: Dimethylethanolamine
• Wikipedia: Piracetam
• AntiAging Systems: Centrophenoxine

Wisdom, Blogs and Message Boards about Cholinergic Agents

• AllNurses: Question - Cholinergic Agents
• Professor R. Kalirajan Lecture Notes: Cholinergic Drugs and Related Agents
• BioMedicine: Cholinergic Agents May Offer Relief From Tics in Adults with Tourette Syndrome (June 5, 1999)

Clinical Trials for Cholinergic Agents

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Clinical Trials on Cholinergic Agents
• CenterWatch: Clinical Trials on Cholinergic Agents

Controversy and Lawsuits about Cholinergic Agents

• Health Matters: Nicotine: Pros and Cons

Abuse of Cholinergic Agents

• eMedicine: Substance Abuse: Nicotine
• Science Museum: Nicotine Abuse

Scientific and Medical Journal Articles on Cholinergic Agents

• JAMA: Archives of Cholinergic Agents Research
• PubMed: Cholinergic Agents Articles
• Google Scholar: Articles on Cholinergic Agents

Related WisdomCards

• Alzheimer's Disease
• Alzheimer's Disease Treatment
• Diseases of the Autonomic Nervous System
• Choline
• Nicotine
• Nicotine Addiction
• Mushroom Poisoning
• Tourette Syndrome

GuideWisdom and Fast Facts References

1. ↑ Wikipedia: Cholinergic
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3} Wikipedia: Parasympathomimetic Drug
3. ↑ WrongDiagnosis: Cholinergic Agent

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