The majority of the drugs used to reduce the effects of acetylcholine inhibit specifically certain types of acetylcholine receptors and can be named cholinolytic or cholinergic antagonists. Others inhibit acetylcholine release at the synaptic level.
We will see successively:
Muscarinic receptor antagonists. The principal drug of this group is atropine.
Nicotinic receptor antagonists of autonomic ganglia or ganglionic blocking agents. One of the reference compounds of this group is penthonium.
Neuromuscular nicotinic receptor antagonists, also called neuromuscular blocking agents. The drug of reference of this group is d-tubocurarine.
