Bethanechol

Cholinergic Muscarinic Agonist — NERVOUS SYSTEM

Key facts

Bethanechol is an ofp drug in the Cholinergic Muscarinic Agonist class catalogued in DrugCentral. It was first approved by the FDA in 1948. Its mechanism of action is classified as Cholinergic Muscarinic Agonists. DrugCentral lists 6 molecular targets, including GPM2, GPM3 and CHRM3. Recorded indications include Retention of urine.

• Approval status: ofp (first approved 1948 by the FDA).
• Drug class: Cholinergic Muscarinic Agonist.
• Mechanism of action: Cholinergic Muscarinic Agonists.
• Molecular targets: GPM2, GPM3, CHRM3 and CHRM1 (6 listed in DrugCentral).
• Indications: Retention of urine.
• ATC code: N07AB02 (Choline esters).
• Molecular formula: C7H17N2O2+; molecular weight 161.22 g/mol.

Indications & contraindications

Drug–disease relationships curated by DrugCentral (OMOP / SNOMED concepts).

Indications (1)

• Retention of urine

Contraindications (23)

• Abnormal vasomotor function
• Anastomosis of intestine
• Asthma
• Atrioventricular block
• Bladder outflow obstruction
• Bladder Surgery
• Bradycardia
• Disorder of coronary artery
• Epilepsy
• Gastrointestinal obstruction
• Hypertensive disorder
• Hyperthyroidism
• Increased gastric tonus
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Low blood pressure
• Operation on gastrointestinal tract
• Orthostatic hypotension
• Parkinson's disease
• Parkinsonism
• Peptic ulcer
• Peritonitis
• Urinary tract obstruction

Mechanism & targets

• Mechanism of action (MoA): Cholinergic Muscarinic Agonists
• Established pharmacologic class: Cholinergic Muscarinic Agonist

Molecular targets (6)

Target	Gene	Action	Activity
Muscarinic receptor 2	GPM2	unknown	EC50 6.00
Muscarinic acetylcholine receptor	GPM3	unknown	Kd 4.90
Muscarinic acetylcholine receptor M3	CHRM3	agonist	Ki 4.20
Muscarinic acetylcholine receptor M1	CHRM1	agonist	Ki 4.00
Muscarinic acetylcholine receptor M2	CHRM2	agonist	Ki 4.00
Muscarinic acetylcholine receptor M4	CHRM4	agonist	Ki 4.00

Regulatory approvals (1)

Date	Agency	Marketed as	Applicant	Orphan
1948-10-12	FDA	—	—

ATC classification

ATC code	Therapeutic hierarchy
N07AB02	NERVOUS SYSTEM › OTHER NERVOUS SYSTEM DRUGS › PARASYMPATHOMIMETICS › Choline esters

Reported adverse-event signals

Strongest FDA FAERS disproportionality signals (log-likelihood ratio). A signal is a statistical association in spontaneous reports, not proof that the drug causes the event.

MedDRA term	LLR
Potentiating drug interaction	64.5
Oesophageal rupture	62.3
Urinary tract infection	55.8
Peritonitis	28.3
Urinary retention	28.0
Infective pulmonary exacerbation of cystic fibrosis	28.0
Pancreatic failure	27.1
Gastrointestinal motility disorder	22.8

Chemical structure

Full physicochemical, ADMET and 3D-structure analysis of Bethanechol is on its molecule page.

• Molecular formula: C₇H₁₇N₂O₂+
• Molecular weight: 161.22 g/mol
• CAS number: —
• InChIKey: NZUPCNDJBJXXRF-UHFFFAOYSA-O
• PubChem CID: 2370

CC(C[N+](C)(C)C)OC(N)=O

Frequently asked questions

Answers are generated from the structured data on this page, not written by hand.

What is Bethanechol used for?

DrugCentral lists the following indications for Bethanechol: Retention of urine.

How does Bethanechol work?

Bethanechol is classified as Cholinergic Muscarinic Agonists; its molecular targets in DrugCentral include GPM2, GPM3, CHRM3 (agonist) and CHRM1 (agonist).

When was Bethanechol first approved?

Bethanechol was first approved by the FDA in 1948.

What drug class does Bethanechol belong to?

Bethanechol is in the Cholinergic Muscarinic Agonist class.

What is the chemical formula of Bethanechol?

Bethanechol has the molecular formula C7H17N2O2+ and a molecular weight of 161.22 g/mol.

Sources

• DrugCentral drug card 358 — structure, indications, targets, approvals, pharmacologic classes (CC BY-SA 4.0)
• ChEMBL CHEMBL1482 — compound record and bioactivity
• PubChem CID 2370 — chemical identifiers
• DrugBank DB01019 — drug record
• FDA UNII 004F72P8F4 — substance identity
• DailyMed: FDA labels for Bethanechol — current prescribing information (label search)
• UniProt P20309 (CHRM3) — target protein
• UniProt P11229 (CHRM1) — target protein
• UniProt P08172 (CHRM2) — target protein
• UniProt P08173 (CHRM4) — target protein
• FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (openFDA FAERS) — adverse-event signals, as aggregated by DrugCentral

How this page is built: methodology · editorial policy & corrections.