atropine vs mexiletine
According to this portal's Publishing Organization, this page was last reviewed in August 2026 against our methodology. Figures and extracts on this site, including tables above 1,000 rows when the corpus is that large, are the publisher's responsibility.
Side-by-side comparison of atropine and mexiletine. Data from FDA drug databases (Orange Book, NDC Directory, recalls, shortages) covering 20,000+ approved drugs, plus CMS pricing; see our methodology.
minor Known Drug Interaction
7 DRUG INTERACTIONS 7.1 Mexiletine Atropine Sulfate Injection decreased the rate of mexiletine absorption without altering the relative oral bioavailability; this delay in mexiletine absorption was reversed by the combination of atropine and intravenous metoclopramide during pretreatment for anesthesia.
AtroPen
Mexitil
Atropine is a medicine that can temporarily block severe effects on your body. It can treat certain types of poisoning and help with a very slow heart rate.
Mexiletine is a medicine used to treat life-threatening heart rhythm problems. It helps to stabilize your heartbeat.
Atropine is used to treat severe or life-threatening muscarinic effects. This includes reducing saliva production, acting as an antivagal agent, and treating poisoning from organophosphorus or certain mushrooms. It can also treat a very slow heart rate that can lead to cardiac arrest.
Mexiletine is used to treat serious, life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias, like sustained ventricular tachycardia. These are problems with the rhythm of the lower chambers of your heart. It is generally not recommended for less severe arrhythmias or asymptomatic premature ventricular contractions.
Atropine works by blocking the effects of a chemical called acetylcholine in your body. This helps to reduce saliva, relax your airways, and increase your heart rate. It counteracts the effects of certain poisons by blocking their action on your body.
Mexiletine belongs to a class of drugs called antiarrhythmics. It works by slowing down the electrical signals in your heart. This helps to make your heartbeat more regular.
- • Dry mouth
- • Blurred vision
- • Sensitivity to light
- • Fast heart rate
- • Nausea
- • Vomiting
- • Heartburn
- • Dizziness
- • Lightheadedness
- Diarrhoea 535
- Hypotension 485
- Nausea 458
- Death 445
- Dyspnoea 394
- Fatigue 31
- Ventricular Tachycardia 31
- Dyspnoea 26
- Nausea 24
- Poor Quality Sleep 24
If you have coronary artery disease, the total dose of atropine should be limited to avoid a fast heart rate. Atropine may cause acute glaucoma, pyloric obstruction, complete urinary retention, or thick bronchial secretions.
Mexiletine may increase the risk of death or cardiac arrest in some patients with a history of heart attack. It should only be used for life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias. This medicine can also cause liver problems, especially if you have congestive heart failure or ischemia.
If you are pregnant and have a life-threatening condition, you should still receive atropine if needed. Small amounts of atropine can pass into breast milk. To minimize exposure to the baby, you may pump and discard your milk for 24 hours after using atropine before breastfeeding again.
Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. The effects of mexiletine during pregnancy are not fully known. Talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of taking this medicine while pregnant or breastfeeding.
How to Read This atropine vs mexiletine Comparison
atropine is classified in the Anticholinergic drug class, while mexiletine sits within the Class IB Antiarrhythmic class. Drugs from different classes work through distinct mechanisms, so a head-to-head comparison illustrates trade-offs rather than equivalence. Both drugs are prescription-only, so a licensed provider must authorize use.
Adverse event totals above are pulled from the FDA's Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). For these top-ranked reactions alone, atropine has 2,317 submissions while mexiletine has 136. Those figures reflect cumulative reporting volume, not per-patient risk, so older, widely dispensed drugs typically look worse on count alone. These two drugs have a known minor interaction flagged in FDA labeling, attributed to atropine slows down the movement of the stomach, which makes it take longer for mexiletine to be absorbed into the body.. Serious warnings, pregnancy guidance, and contraindications can differ even when indications overlap.
A table cannot represent individual circumstances. Data here is sourced from FDA Structured Product Labels (SPL) and FAERS, both of which update as manufacturers and clinicians submit new information. This registry does not provide medical, treatment, substitution, or medication-change directions for atropine or mexiletine.
Registry boundary: This comparison displays source-record fields and does not provide individualized medical direction.