SBA — Single Best Answer · Review
Question 461
Pharmacology → General
Classification
Question
SSBAQuestion Header
A patient taking a tricyclic antidepressant develops several new symptoms. Which cluster is most consistent with the antimuscarinic effects described for this drug class?
Question Stem
Select the single best answer.
Options
A
Diarrhoea, urinary frequency and excessive salivation
B
Dry mouth, urinary retention, constipation and blurred vision
C
Bronchorrhoea, miosis and abdominal cramping
D
Polyuria, sweating and increased gastrointestinal motility
E
Lacrimation, urinary urgency and increased salivation
Explanation
Central and peripheral antimuscarinic actions of tricyclic antidepressants. Typical adverse effects include dry mouth, constipation, urinary retention and blurred vision. Palpitations and gastrointestinal discomfort are also described.
Option Validity
A) constipation and urinary retention rather than diarrhoea and urinary frequency; dry mouth rather than excessive salivation is characteristic.
C) This pattern is not the antimuscarinic adverse-effect profile described for tricyclic antidepressants.
D) Increased gastrointestinal motility is opposite to the constipation associated with antimuscarinic activity, and polyuria is not the characteristic urinary effect described.
E) dry mouth and urinary retention rather than increased salivation and urinary urgency.
Further Reading
Saxena R. Textbook for MRCOG-1. Chapter 12: Pharmacology. Antidepressant Drugs, p.346.