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Clonidine acts on the central nervous system to inhibit the sympathetic nervous system, leading to a decrease in blood pressure. It is commonly used to reduce the risk of stroke and heart attacks by treating high blood pressure, anxiety and panic disorders. It also leads to decreased norepinephrine release from the sympathetic nerve terminals. [11]
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 .
The sympathetic nervous system's primary process is to stimulate the body's fight or flight response. It is, however, constantly active at a basic level to maintain homeostasis. [4] The sympathetic nervous system is described as being antagonistic to the parasympathetic nervous system.
Autonomic nervous system, showing splanchnic nerves in middle, and the vagus nerve as "X" in blue. The heart and organs below in list to right are regarded as viscera. The autonomic nervous system has been classically divided into the sympathetic nervous system and parasympathetic nervous system only (i.e., exclusively motor).
Paroxysmal sympathetic hyperactivity (PSH) is a syndrome that causes episodes of increased activity of the sympathetic nervous system. Hyperactivity of the sympathetic nervous system can manifest as increased heart rate, increased respiration, increased blood pressure, diaphoresis , and hyperthermia . [ 1 ]
It includes the circulatory system, the respiratory system, the visual system, the digestive system, the endocrine system, the urinary system, the reproductive system, and the integumentary system. Both effects of the sympathetic nervous system and parasympathetic nervous system are included.
Autonomic drugs are substances that can either inhibit or enhance the functions of the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems. This type of drug can be used to treat a wide range of diseases an disorders, including glaucoma, asthma, and disorders of the urinary, gastrointestinal and circulatory systems.
An increase in sympathetic stimulation to the heart increases contractility and heart rate. An increase in contractility tends to increase stroke volume and thus a secondary increase in preload. An increase in preload results in an increased force of contraction by Starling's law of the heart; this does not require a change in contractility.