Atropine. Why do soldiers always have this drug with them?

The finding of atropine containers on the equipment caused anxiety on the Ukrainian side. This may indicate that the aggressor is considering the use of biological weapons. Atropine, a substance found in wolfberries, is widely used in medicine, and is also used as an antidote to poison control agents such as sarin. Where else is atropine used?

1. Atropine is used in ophthalmology, anesthesiology, cardiology and emergency medicine
2. In higher doses it has a toxic effect, in the old days it was used to fight wolves and rodents
3. It can also be used as a biological weapon in armed conflicts
4. More current information can be found on the Onet homepage

Atropine found in the s

Ukrainian forces have recently found atropine in the equipment of captured s. It is an agent with many uses, in combat conditions it can be used as an antidote. Hence the fears that the aggressor may use chemical weapons in the fight.

Dr. Katarzyna Pikulska, a doctor working in a hospital in Siedlce and after hours organizing help for Ukrainians, recently talked about the use of atropine. Pikulska regularly carries necessary things across the eastern border. The last aid transport includes, among others atropine.

– We get lists of needs. Now I will also be carrying modern gas masks and drugs such as atropine. This has been talked about for several months, but unfortunately there is a high risk that combat gas will be used there. There was a moment when atropine was found in the equipment of captured soldiers, which is an antidote to combat gases. This shows that this threat is real – says Dr. Pikulska.

—M.in there is a power plant in the vicinity of Zaporizhia. The risk that the s will attempt to destroy the power plant, or a biological or chemical attack, is also high. Feel that the Ukrainians are taking this risk seriously – adds the doctor.

Atropine – what is it?

Atropine is a natural and widely known tropine alkaloid. In the wild, it occurs in plants belonging to the nightshade family, such as the nightshade (Atropa belladonna) and the black hen.

Wolfberry grows in Europe (also in Poland), North Africa, West Asia and North America.

Pure atropine was obtained for the first time from wolfberry in 1831. Later it began to be produced by chemical synthesis.

Atropine – drug, poison and antidote at the same time

In the old days, atropine was used, inter alia, in as a poison for wolves (hence the name) and rodents, because in high doses it can cause cardiac arrest. Arrowheads were also poisoned with it.

At the same time, it was used in cosmetics, after rubbing it on the cheeks, it caused flushing due to the expansion of blood vessels, it was an ingredient of love drinks and potions needed by clairvoyants to enter a trance.

Currently, it is associated mainly as an agent administered in the form of eye drops, causing dilatation of the pupils necessary for the examination of the fundus. Apart from ophthalmology, it is also used in anesthesiology, cardiology and emergency medicine. When used in appropriate doses, it is helpful in the treatment of bradycardia, cardiac arrhythmias, reversing the neuromuscular blockade, it is used in diastolic use, as well as in premedication (induction of general anesthesia). It is used as an antidote in paralytic and convulsive poisoning with organophosphorus agents, such as e.g. sarin, tabun or soma.

– Atropine relaxes smooth muscles, which increases the diameter of the bronchi, facilitates breathing, reduces the amount of mucus in the lungs or speeds up the heart rate. Thanks to this, it can stop the effects of poisoning with certain chemicals – pharmacist Łukasz Pietrzak explains to ABC health.

On the other hand, the use of too high doses may cause side effects such as – according to the information contained in the leaflets – “dry mouth with burning sensation, difficulty swallowing, photophobia, redness and dry skin, increase in body temperature, rash, nausea and vomiting, increased heart rate and an increase in blood pressure. Nervousness, tremors, confusion, agitation, hallucinations, delirium may occur as a result of central nervous system stimulation. These symptoms can develop into somnolence, stupor (stupor), respiratory and circulatory failure which may be life-threatening ».

Atropine – how does it work on our body?

Atropine paralyzes the parasympathetic nervous system endings, acts on organ muscarinic receptors (receptors located on cell membranes), located in the bronchi, heart, eyeballs, smooth muscles of the gastrointestinal tract and urinary tract.

How exactly does atropine work?

1. heart muscle – increases the heart rate and affects the cardiac output. Atropine is less effective in people who suffer from diabetes, neuropathy or uremia;
2. respiratory tract – relaxes smooth muscles, enlarges the lumen of the bronchi and reduces the production of mucus;
3. digestive tract – reduces muscle tension in the smooth walls of the digestive tract, reduces intestinal peristalsis, reduces retention of food in the stomach, has an antiemetic effect;
4. endocrine glands – inhibits the secretion of sweat, saliva and digestive enzymes;
5. urinary system – reduces the tension of the smooth muscles of the bladder walls and ureters;
6. organ of sight – paralyzes the ciliary muscle, dilates the pupils of the eye.

Atropine – indications

The most important indications for the use of atropine are:

1. cardiopulmonary resuscitation;
2. premedication before general anesthesia;
3. reversing neuromuscular block;
4. treatment of reflex bradycardia;
5. excessive secretion and spasm of the bronchi;
6. gastrointestinal spastic conditions;
7. radiological diagnostics;
8. long-term dilatation of the pupils.

Atropine – contraindications

Hypersensitivity to this compound is a contraindication to the use of atropine. It should also not be used in cases of glaucoma, gastrointestinal obstruction, reflux disease or narrowing of the bladder neck.

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