Definition

Relating to substances that produce effects similar to those caused by the sympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for the body's 'fight or flight' response.

Example

The doctor prescribed a sympathomimetic drug to help relieve the patient's asthma symptoms.

Conversation

I read an article about sympathomimetic drugs the other day.

Oh really? What do they do?

They mimic the effects of the sympathetic nervous system, like increasing heart rate.

That sounds interesting! I've never heard of them before.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Definition

A type of drug that mimics the effects of the sympathetic nervous system, often used to increase heart rate or blood pressure.

Example

The doctor prescribed a sympathomimetic to help improve the patient's breathing during the asthma attack.

Conversation

Have you heard about that new sympathomimetic drug they just released?

Yeah, I read that it can really help with asthma attacks.

It's interesting how it mimics the effects of adrenaline.

Root Explanation

Sympathomimetic → It is formed from "sympatho-" (from Greek "sympatheia", meaning sympathy or shared feeling) and "mimetic" (from Greek "mimetikos", meaning to imitate). The word describes substances that imitate the effects of the sympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for the body's 'fight or flight' response.

Memory Tip

Think of 'sympathy' as sharing feelings ('sympatho-') and 'imitating' those effects ('mimetic') — that's why sympathomimetic refers to imitating the body's response to stress.

Visually Confused Words