Drug-induced hyperhidrosis and hypohidrosis: incidence, prevention and management.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review with mechanism-based reasoning and no original human data or systematic pooling
PubMed 18217788 · doi:10.2165/00002018-200831020-00002
What was done
Narrative review describing the mechanisms, causative medication classes, clinical consequences, and management strategies for drug-induced hyperhidrosis and hypohidrosis based on the literature.
What was found
The abstract reports no quantitative incidence rates or numerical data. It notes that hyperhidrosis is associated with cholinesterase inhibitors, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, opioids, and tricyclic antidepressants. Hypohidrosis is associated with antimuscarinic anticholinergic agents, carbonic anhydrase inhibitors, and tricyclic antidepressants, and can elevate the risk of heat exhaustion or heat stroke. Outlined management options include dose reduction, drug substitution, discontinuation, adding sweat-suppressive agents for hyperhidrosis, and avoiding heat stress along with applying external skin cooling for hypohidrosis.
Why it matters
It provides a framework for recognizing how common drug classes alter thermoregulatory pathways and outlines clinical approaches to mitigate symptoms or prevent heat-related illness.
Limits
This is a narrative review providing no primary empirical data, quantitative incidence estimates, or systematic review methodology in the abstract. Comparative treatment efficacy was not quantitatively measured.
Cited by
- supports Hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating) is one of the most common side effects of SSRI antidepressants.