A 30-year-old man comes to the emergency department because of a dry mouth and blurred vision for the past 30 minutes. Prior to this, he was on a road trip and started to feel nauseous, dizzy, and fatigued, so his friend gave him a drug that had helped in the past. The patient has no history of illicit drug use. Temperature is 38.9 C (102 F), blood pressure is 110/76 mm Hg, pulse is 120/min, and respirations are 16/min. He is disoriented to time, place, and person. Physical examination shows flushed skin and dry oral mucosa. Both pupils are dilated and nonreactive to light and accommodation. Bowel sounds are decreased. Which of the following drugs can potentially reverse this patient's condition?

Question

A 30-year-old man comes to the emergency department because of a dry mouth and blurred vision for the past 30 minutes. Prior to this, he was on a road trip and started to feel nauseous, dizzy, and fatigued, so his friend gave him a drug that had helped in the past. The patient has no history of illicit drug use.  Temperature is 38.9 C (102 F), blood pressure is 110/76 mm Hg, pulse is 120/min, and respirations are 16/min.  He is disoriented to time, place, and person.  Physical examination shows flushed skin and dry oral mucosa.  Both pupils are dilated and nonreactive to light and accommodation.  Bowel sounds are decreased.  Which of the following drugs can potentially reverse this patient's condition?

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Eductional Objective: Anticholinergic agents (eg, atropine, scopolamine) competitively inhibit acetylcholine at the muscarinic acetylcholine receptor.  The effects can be memorized with the mnemonic, "Blind as a bat, mad as a hatter, red as a beet, hot as a hare, dry as a bone, full as a flask, and fast as a fiddle," and can be reversed by cholinesterase inhibitors (physostigmine).

A 30-Year-Old Man Comes to the Emergency Department Because of a Dry