Adverse effects of neuromuscular blocking drugs.

Neuromuscular blocking drugs are not as notorious for producing adverse reactions as the i.v. induction agents; nevertheless, to a varying degree they all produce unfavourable or harmful effects. The newer non-depolarizing neuromuscular blockers, atracurium and vecuronium, have been developed in an attempt to overcome the disadvantages of the earlier drugs, but although much more specific agents, they are not completely free from side-effects. The adverse effects of the neuromuscular blocking drugs available in Great Britain today will be discussed in this paper. Those which are not available in this country (such as pipecuronium and metocurine), and obsolete agents (such as decamethonium) will not be discussed. Although what follows is concerned mainly with the non-depolarizing agents, suxamethonium is included where appropriate, whilst what might be regarded as the unique features of the drug are discussed later in the article.