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Cholinergic drugs produce the same effects as acetylcholine. Acetylcholine is the most common neurohormone of the parasympathetic nervous system, the part of the peripheral nervous system responsible for the every day work of the body. While the sympathetic nervous system acts during times of excitation, the parasympathetic system deals with everyday activities such as salivation, digestion, and muscle relaxation.
The cholinergic drugs may be used in several ways. The cholinergic muscle stimulants are used to diagnose and treat myathenia gravis, a disease that causes severe muscle weakness. This class of drugs includes ambenonium chloride (Mytelase), edrophonium chloride (Tensilon), neostigmine (Prostigmine), and piridogstimina (Mestinón). These drugs are also widely used in surgery, both to reduce the risk of urinary retention, and to reverse the effects of the muscle relaxant drugs that are used in surgery.
Cholinergic drugs are also used in control of glaucoma, a disease that is caused by increased pressure inside the eye. The most common drugs used for this purpose are demecarium (Humorsol) and echthiophate (Phospho-line iodide).
— Samuel Uretsky, PharmD
