Sympathomimetic drugs (also known as adrenergic drugs and adrenergic amines) are stimulant compounds which mimic the effects of endogenous agonists of the sympathetic nervous system. Examples of sympathomimetic effects include increases in heart rate, force of cardiac contraction, and blood pressure.[1] The primary endogenous agonists of the sympathetic nervous system are the catecholamines (i.e., epinephrine [adrenaline], norepinephrine [noradrenaline], and dopamine), which function as both neurotransmitters and hormones. Sympathomimetic drugs are used to treat cardiac arrest and low blood pressure, or even delay premature labor, among other things.
These drugs can act through several mechanisms, such as directly activating postsynaptic receptors, blocking breakdown and reuptake of certain neurotransmitters, or stimulating production and release of catecholamines.
- ^ Ellie Kirov (9 November 2021). Herlihy's the Human Body in Health and Illness 1st Anz Edition. Elsevier Health Sciences. pp. 234–. ISBN 978-0-7295-8853-9. OCLC 1287761421.
If a drug causes effects similar to the activation of the sympathetic nervous system, it is called a sympathomimetic [...] A sympathomimetic agent increases heart rate, force of cardiac contraction and blood pressure.