Indications

Pilocarpine is indicated for:

The treatment of symptoms of dry mouth from salivary gland dysfunction caused by radiotherapy for cancer of the head and neck.
The treatment of symptoms of dry mouth in patients with Sjogren’s syndrome.

Interaction

Pilocarpine should be administered with caution to patients taking beta adrenergic antagonists because of the possibility of conduction disturbances. Pilocarpine might antagonize the anticholinergic effects of drugs used concomitantly.

Contraindications

Pilocarpine is contraindicated in patients with uncontrolled asthma, cardiovascular disease, known hypersensitivity to pilocarpine and when miosis is undesirable, e.g. in acute iritis and in narrow-angle (angle closure) glaucoma.

Side Effects

Headache, visual disturbance, lacrimation, sweating, respiratory distress, gastrointestinal spasm, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, atrioventricular block, tachycardia, bradycardia, hypotension, hypertension, shock, mental confusion, cardiac arrhythmia, and tremors etc may occur. Most of the adverse experiences observed during pilocarpine treatment were consequences of exaggerated parasympathetic stimulation. These adverse experiences were dose-dependent and usually mild and self-limited.