Summary
The treatment of gustatory sweating in diabetes mellitus is usually with oral anti-cholinergic drugs, but these frequently lead to unacceptable side effects. Glycopyrrolate is an anti-muscarinic agent that can be applied topically and is efficacious in gustatory sweating occurring in other conditions. In a double-blind placebo-controlled crossover study, we assessed the value of glycopyrrolate in 13 diabetic patients with gustatory sweating. Sweating was measured by a sweat challenge, and diaries recorded by the patients throughout the 2 weeks of each treatment period. Compared to placebo, glycopyrrolate reduced the sweat response to a challenge by 82 % (p < 0.01). The frequency of episodes of gustatory sweating during the treatment period was also reduced by 51 % (p < 0.01), with a nearly 100 % reduction in the frequency of episodes of severe sweating (p < 0.01). In conclusion, topically applied glycopyrrolate is a very effective treatment in reducing both the severity and frequency of diabetic gustatory sweating. [Diabetologia (1997) 40: 299–301]
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Received: 23 July 1996 and in revised form: 24 October 1996
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Shaw, J., Abbott, C., Tindle, K. et al. A randomised controlled trial of topical glycopyrrolate, the first specific treatment for diabetic gustatory sweating. Diabetologia 40, 299–301 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1007/s001250050677
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s001250050677