Pilocarpine hydrochloride 0.1% eye drops
Requires a prescription from a doctor or prescriber
Official documents, adverse reaction reporting, and safety monitoring
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Official medicine documents
Safety monitoring data
Yellow Card reports
The MHRA Yellow Card scheme collects reports of suspected side effects from healthcare professionals and patients. View the Drug Analysis Profile (iDAP) for real-world adverse reaction data.
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Suspected adverse reactions reported for Pilocarpine
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Submit a Yellow Card report to the MHRA
Data from the MHRA Yellow Card scheme. A reported reaction does not necessarily mean the medicine caused it. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
EudraVigilance
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) collects suspected adverse reaction reports from across the EU/EEA through the EudraVigilance system. Search for safety data on this medicine.
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Suspected adverse reactions reported for Pilocarpine
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EudraVigilance data is published by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). A suspected adverse reaction is not necessarily caused by the medicine.
1 branded products available
WHO defined daily dose (DDD)
400 microlitre
Not a recommended dose. The DDD is the assumed average maintenance dose per day for a drug used for its main indication in adults. It is a statistical measure used for research and comparison purposes only.
Source: WHO Collaborating Centre for Drug Statistics Methodology, distributed via the NHS dm+d supplementary BNF/ATC mapping files (NHSBSA). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Therapeutically similar medicines
Similarity is based on WHO Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification and on a factual NHS dm+d therapeutic-grouping code prefix. Source data: NHS dm+d via TRUD (OGL v3.0), WHO ATC/DDD Index.
NHS prescribing volume and spending trends
Check stock at pharmacies and supply information
Pharmacy stock checkers
Search for this medicine at major UK pharmacy chains. These links open the retailer's own website — results depend on their current online catalogue.
Supply & safety information
Official UK regulator monitoring and safety alerts
Pharmacy links redirect to the retailer's own search and do not represent real-time stock levels. Shortage and safety information sourced from MHRA drug safety updates (gov.uk, Crown Copyright under OGL v3.0).
Codes for healthcare professionals and prescribing systems
These codes are used by healthcare IT systems and prescribers to identify this medicine.
NHS UK identifiers
Browse tools
SNOMED CT and dm+d codes from NHS TRUD (Technology Reference data Update Distribution), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. BNF code shown is the factual mapping value distributed by NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) in the dm+d supplementary file under OGL v3.0; it is not affiliated with, nor licensed from, the publishers of the British National Formulary. ATC codes from the WHO Collaborating Centre for Drug Statistics Methodology (whocc.no).
Active and completed clinical studies from ClinicalTrials.gov
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health (NIH). Data accessed via ClinicalTrials.gov API v2. Trial information is provided for research purposes and does not constitute medical advice.
Academic studies and reviews for this medicine's active substance
Showing the 50 most relevant studies.
Reviews & meta-analyses: 9 · Randomised trials: 4 · 1959–2025
Showing the 50 most relevant studies, sorted by most relevant.
F. Vivino, I. Al-Hashimi, Zafrulla Khan, et al.
Archives of internal medicine, 1999
- Lacrimal Apparatus
- Parasympathomimetics
- Pilocarpine
Cai Cheng, Hao Xu, Lingjiao Liu, et al.
Journal of the American Dental Association, 2016
Wei-fa Yang, G. Liao, S. Hakim, et al.
International journal of radiation oncology, biology, physics, 2016
Lima GN, Amaral DC, Ivanov YA, et al.
2025
- Presbyopia
- Pilocarpine
- Muscarinic Agonists
Abbas K, Gill K, Al-Helli T, et al.
2025
John W. Rieke, Mark D. Hafermann, Jonas T. Johnson, et al.
International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics, 1995
- Head and Neck Neoplasms
- Pilocarpine
- Radiotherapy
Giulia Curia, Daniela Longo, Giuseppe Biagini, et al.
Journal of Neuroscience Methods, 2008
- Convulsants
- Disease Models, Animal
- Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe
João Pereira Leite, Norberto Garcia‐Cairasco, Ésper A. Cavalheiro
Epilepsy Research, 2002
- Convulsants
- Electroencephalography
- Kainic Acid
Lechosław Turski, Chrysanthy Ikonomidou, Waldemar A. Turski, et al.
Synapse, 1989
- Disease Models, Animal
- Pilocarpine
- Brain
Lynda R. Wiseman, Diana Faulds
Drugs, 1995
- Pilocarpine
- Radiotherapy
- Salivary Glands
Sources: aggregated from Europe PMC (EMBL-EBI), OpenAlex, Crossref, PubMed and other open scholarly databases. Retracted articles are excluded. Study information is provided for research purposes and does not constitute medical advice.
Pharmacology and chemical data from DrugBank
Key facts
Drug status
Approved
Major interactions
None known
Half-life
1.35 hours
Mechanism
The muscarinic M3 receptor is expressed in various endocrine and exocrine glands…
Food interactions
1 warning
Human targets
5 targets
Data: DrugBank · CC BY-NC 4.0
Pharmacokinetics at a glance
Absorption
5mg
Half-life
1.35 hours
[A262036]
Following…
Protein binding
000 ng/mL
Volume of distribution
Metabolism
Elimination
[A262036]
Clearance
Pharmacokinetic data: DrugBank · CC BY-NC 4.0
[L48566]
Pilocarpine ophthalmic formulations are used to treat presbyopia in adults,[L48556][L48631] reduce elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) in patients with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension, manage acute angle-closure glaucoma, prevent postoperative elevated IOP associated with laser surgery, and induce miosis.
[L48561]
Known interactions with other medications. Always consult a healthcare professional.
Showing 50 of 122 interactions
[L48721]
Overdosage can produce sweating, salivation, nausea, tremors, slowing of the pulse, and decreased blood pressure.
[L48561]
Fatal overdosage with pilocarpine has been reported in the scientific literature at doses presumed to be greater than 100 mg. Severe overdosage should be treated with titrated atropine (0.5 mg to 1.0 mg given subcutaneously or intravenously), which is a muscarinic antagonist.
Supportive measures should be initiated to maintain respiration and circulation. Epinephrine (0.3 mg to 1.0 mg, subcutaneously or intramuscularly) may also be used in response to severe cardiovascular depression or bronchoconstriction. It is not known if pilocarpine is dialyzable.
[L48566]
Systemic toxicity following ophthalmic use of pilocarpine is rare, but some patients may experience sweating and gastrointestinal overactivity at therapeutic doses.
[L48561]
Because pilocarpine may affect all five muscarinic receptor subtypes, it is associated with parasympathetic side effects.[A262016][A262041]
How the body processes this drug — absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination
[A262036]
Following ophthalmic administration in healthy subjects, the overall median Tmax was 2.2 hours.
The mean (SD) Cmax and AUC0-t were 897.2 (287.2) pg/mL and 2699 (741.4) hr x pg/mL, respectively.
[L48556]
In patients with presbyopia, the mean Cmax and AUC0-t,ss values were 1.95 ng/mL and 4.14 ng x hr/mL, respectively. The median Tmax was 0.3 hours postdose with a range from 0.2 to 0.5 hours post-dose.
[L48631]
[A262036]
Following ophthalmic administration in healthy subjects, the half-life was 3.96 hours.
[L48556]
[L48566]
[L48566]
Pilocarpine is reported to undergo CYP2A6-mediated 3-hydroxylation to form stereoisomers of 3-hydroxypilocaripine.
[A262091]
Pilocaripine also undergoes hydrolysis mediated by paraoxonase 1, a calcium-dependent esterase in plasma and the human liver.
[A262091]
Pilocarpic acid is a possible metabolic product of hydrolysis.
[A184409]
Pilocarpine metabolites are reported to possess negligible or no pharmacological activity.
[L48566]
[A262036]
Proteins and enzymes this drug interacts with in the body
Enzymes involved in drug metabolism — important for understanding drug interactions
ATC N07AX01
ATC S01EB01
ATC S01EB51
Chemical identifiers
CAS, UNII, InChI Key and database cross-references
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Chemical identifiers
CAS, UNII, InChI Key and database cross-references
Linked compound data from DrugBank Open Data (CC BY-NC 4.0)
Pilocarpine
Additional database identifiers
Drugs Product Database (DPD)
6599
Drugs Product Database (DPD)
6598
Drugs Product Database (DPD)
6600
ChemSpider
5699
BindingDB
50008072
PDB
9PL
Guide to Pharmacology
305
ZINC
ZINC000000075008
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:1952
GenAtlas
CHRM3
GeneCards
CHRM3
GenBank Gene Database
X15266
GenBank Protein Database
32324
Guide to Pharmacology
15
UniProt Accession
ACM3_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:1950
GenAtlas
CHRM1
GeneCards
CHRM1
GenBank Gene Database
X52068
GenBank Protein Database
34451
Guide to Pharmacology
13
UniProt Accession
ACM1_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:1951
GenAtlas
CHRM2
GeneCards
CHRM2
GenBank Gene Database
M16404
GenBank Protein Database
177990
Guide to Pharmacology
14
UniProt Accession
ACM2_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:1954
GenAtlas
CHRM5
GeneCards
CHRM5
GenBank Gene Database
M80333
GenBank Protein Database
177988
Guide to Pharmacology
17
UniProt Accession
ACM5_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:1953
GenAtlas
CHRM4
GeneCards
CHRM4
GenBank Gene Database
M16405
GenBank Protein Database
61970253
Guide to Pharmacology
16
UniProt Accession
ACM4_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:2637
GenAtlas
CYP3A4
GeneCards
CYP3A4
GenBank Gene Database
M18907
Guide to Pharmacology
1337
UniProt Accession
CP3A4_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:2610
GenAtlas
CYP2A6
GeneCards
CYP2A6
GenBank Gene Database
X13897
Guide to Pharmacology
1321
UniProt Accession
CP2A6_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:9204
GenAtlas
PON1
GeneCards
PON1
GenBank Gene Database
M63012
GenBank Protein Database
190192
UniProt Accession
PON1_HUMAN
DrugBank citations
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Structured knowledge from the free knowledge base
Linked open data from Wikidata (Q411461), a free and open knowledge base operated by the Wikimedia Foundation. Data is available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication.