What is scopolamine?

Scopolamine (USAN), hyoscine (BAN) also known as levo-duboisine or burundanga,sold as Scopoderm, is a tropane alkaloid drug with muscarinic antagonist effects. It is among the secondary metabolites of plants from Solanaceae (nightshade) family of plants, such as henbane, jimson weed (Datura), angel's trumpets (Brugmansia), and corkwood (Duboisia). Scopolamine exerts its effects by acting as a competitive antagonist at muscarinic acetylcholine receptors; it is thus classified as an anticholinergic, antimuscarinic drug. Although it is usually referred to as a nonspecific antagonist, there is indirect evidence for m1-receptor subtype specificity. (See the article on the parasympathetic nervous system for details of this physiology.)

Its use in medicine is relatively limited, with its chief uses being in the treatment of motion sickness and postoperative nausea and vomiting.

Scopolamine is named after the plant genus Scopolia.The name "hyoscine" is from the scientific name for henbane, Hyoscyamus niger.

What is the medical use of  scopolamine?
Scopolamine has a number of uses in medicine, where it is used to treat:

Postoperative nausea and vomiting and sea sickness, leading to its use by scuba divers
Motion sickness (where it is often applied as a transdermal patch behind the ear)
Gastrointestinal spasms
Renal or biliary spasms
Aid in gastrointestinal radiology and endoscopy
Irritable bowel syndrome
Clozapine-induced hypersalivation (drooling)
Bowel colic
Eye inflammation

It is sometimes used as a premedication (especially to reduce respiratory tract secretions) to surgery, mostly commonly by injection.

The adverse effects of scopolaminewill be continuned next time.

#Scopolamine