Atropine Injectable: Dosing and Precautions
Atropine injectable guidance for anaesthesia premedication, gastrointestinal spasms, and organophosphorus pesticide poisoning.
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Source reviewed
November 2024
Guide category
Injectable drugs
Safety boundary
Prescription medicine information for clinician-guided use.
Kenza Health Hub presents this medicine page as structured health education. Check dose, route, interactions, pregnancy or breast-feeding considerations, and local protocol with a qualified clinician or pharmacist. Read our medical editorial policy.
Therapeutic action
Parasympatholytic, antispasmodic.
Indications
- Premedication in anaesthesia.
- Spasms of the gastrointestinal tract.
- Organophosphorus pesticide poisoning.
Forms and strengths, route of administration
- 1 mg atropine sulfate in 1 ml ampoule for SC, IM, or IV injection.
- Also comes in 0.25 mg/ml and 0.5 mg/ml ampoules.
Dose and duration
Premedication in anaesthesia
- Child: 0.01 to 0.02 mg/kg by SC or IV injection.
- Adult: 1 mg by SC or IV injection.
Spasms of the gastrointestinal tract
- Child from 2 to 6 years: 0.25 mg by SC injection, single dose.
- Child over 6 years: 0.5 mg by SC injection, single dose.
- Adult: 0.25 to 1 mg by SC injection every 6 hours if necessary, maximum 2 mg daily.
Organophosphorus pesticide poisoning
- Child: 0.02 to 0.05 mg/kg by IM or slow IV injection.
- Adult: 2 mg by IM or slow IV injection.
- Repeat every 5 to 10 minutes until signs of atropinisation appear.
Contra-indications, adverse effects, precautions
Do not exceed recommended doses, especially in children and older patients because of the risk of severe anticholinergic effects.
- Do not administer to patients with urethro-prostatic disorders, cardiac disorders, or glaucoma.
- Do not administer to children with high fever.
- May cause urinary retention, dryness of the mouth, constipation, dizziness, headache, dilatation of the pupils, and tachycardia.
- Administer with caution and under close supervision to patients taking other anticholinergic drugs.
- Pregnancy: no contra-indication; no prolonged treatment.
- Breast-feeding: avoid; no prolonged treatment.
- Do not mix with other drugs in the same syringe.
Source
MSF Essential drugs practical guidelines (January 2026)
This page combines source-derived medicine reference sections with Kenza editorial context, while leaving out the Storage and Remarks sections from the source batch.
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