Atropine dosage forms

Liquid oral antidiarrhoeals or any other dosage form for paediatric use containing diphenoxylate or atropine or belladonna including their salts and esters or metabolites, hyoscyamine or their extracts or their alkaloids. 

This solution dosage form can be formulated by dissolving 0.3 g atropine sulfate in 10.7 mL NSS and then adding sterile water up to a total volume of 15 mL (q.s. 15 mL). 

A calcium chloride bolus test dose (10-20 mg/kg up to 1 to 3 g) is the preferred therapy for patients with serious toxicity. In adults, calcium chloride 10% can be diluted in 100 mL normal saline and infused over 5 minutes through a central venous line. If a positive cardiovascular response is achieved with this test dose, a continuous infusion of calcium chloride (20-50 mg/kg per hour) should be started. Calcium gluconate is less desirable to use because it contains less elemental calcium per milligram of final dosage form. Intravenous calcium salts can produce vomiting and tissue necrosis on extravasation." Atropine also may be considered for treatment of bradycardia, but it is seldom sufficient as a sole therapy. ... 

NMR and infrared (IR) spectroscopy are also used to investigate the chemical stability of drug substances. Determination of the hydrolysis rate of esters such as atropine by NMR,647 a nondestructive near-IR analysis of aspirin tablets,648 and determination of the hydrolysis rate of diltiazem by polarimetry649 have been reported. Unusual methods, such as measurement of the dielectric properties of dosage forms like gelatin and methylcellulose microcapsules (Fig. 160), have been used to detect physical changes.650-651 These changes... 

Lehr, G.J. Yuen, S.M. Lawrence, G.D. Liquid chromatographic determination of atropine in nerve gas antidotes and other dosage forms. J.AOAC Int., 1995, 78, 339-343... 

P. Leroy and A. Nicolas, Determination of atropine in pharmaceutical dosage forms containing vegetal preparations, by high-performance liquid chromatography with U.V. and electrochemical detection, J. Pharm. Biomed. Anal.,... 

Benztropine has similar uses and administration to benzhexol. It shares the tropine ring with atropine hut the ester is replaced with an ether and branched benzyl groups. It has some antihistamine and local anaesthetic activity but is not indicated for such uses. Benzatropine (used as the mesilate salt) has a longer half-life than benzhexol and is used as a single daily dose (1-6 mg). It is available in oral (tablet) or injectable (i.m.) dosage forms. 

---