Dr. Bob's Psychopharmacology Tips

Sweating from antidepressants

Date: Fri, 23 Jun 1995 11:45:10 -0500
From: talmadge@Onramp.NET (John M. Talmadge, M.D.)
Subject: Sweating from SSRIs

At 1:47 AM 6/23/95, KATZ22@aol.com (Barbara Katz, M.D.) wrote:

Any quick suggestions for a 40-ish woman who sweats profusely on Prozac, Zoloft, and Paxil? She benefits from all three equally for her depression associated with borderline personality disorder.

From: JoelSHoffm@aol.com (Joel S Hoffman)
Date: Sat, 28 Oct 1995 17:19:00 -0400
Subject: Sweating from antidepressants

R. Feder suggested in a letter, J Clin Psychiatr 1995, 15:35, that clonidine can be useful for control of medication induced diaphoresis. I have tried this with two patients: one on trancylpromine, the other on clomipramine, and found it useful.

From: JoelSHoffm@aol.com (Joel S Hoffman)
Date: Mon, 30 Oct 1995 20:08:54 -0500
Subject: Sweating from antidepressants

I used low level dosage, 0.1 mg bid or tid, without problem.

Date: Sat, 18 Nov 1995 16:19:05 -0800 (PST)
From: Ivan Goldberg <psydoc@psycom.net>
Subject: Sweating from antidepressants

Terazosin (Hytrin) is a useful agent for the control of excessive sweating whether idiopathic or secondary to TCAs or SSRIs. Start with a 1 mg dose at bedtime (to prevent a hypotensive reaction) and slowly increase the dose. Once or twice a day dosing is all that is needed. I sometimes go up to about a total daily dose of 10 mg.

Date: Fri, 24 Nov 1995 16:45:22 -0800 (PST)
From: "J. Wynn" <jdwynn@u.washington.edu>
Subject: Sweating from antidepressants

I have a 38 yo patient who responded well to nortriptyline except for hyperhidrosis. She taught me about Drysol, a solution of aluminum chloride in anhydrous ethyl alcohol, which she has used with excellent success. I believe it is by prescription only and may be irritating to some.

Date: Sat, 25 Nov 1995 22:00:01 -0500 (EST)
From: Donald Franklin Klein <dfk2@columbia.edu>
Subject: Sweating from TCAs

Severe sweating is regularly social phobia and responds to MAOI. However patients on TCA have severe facial neck sweating in distribution of superior cervical ganglion. This responds to Hytrin and similar agents.

Date: Tue, 28 Nov 1995 08:59:09 -0500 (EST)
From: Donald Franklin Klein <dfk2@columbia.edu>
Subject: Sweating from TCAs

On Sun, 26 Nov 1995, Henry Rosenblat MD wrote:

Which similar agents are you using ?

From: PBDunn@aol.com
Date: Fri, 2 Feb 1996 08:43:32 -0500
Subject: Sweating from SSRIs

I have found Ditropan in doses of 5mg BID to be helpful in limiting the sweating associated with the SSRIs. However there are some anticholinergic effects.

From: MKomrad@aol.com
Date: Fri, 19 Apr 1996 23:02:45 -0400
Subject: Sweating from antidepressants

I discourage using Hytrin. Why? ... It [causes] a good deal of orthostatic hypotension -- especially after hot showers! Be careful!

From: MKomrad@aol.com
Date: Mon, 3 Jun 1996 23:59:50 -0400
Subject: Sweating from TCAs

Levsinex (hyoscyamine), an anticholinergic that used to be used for peptic ulcer, has been helpful in some of my patients.

Date: Tue, 1 Apr 1997 13:07:36 -0500 (EST)
From: Himanshu P Upadhyaya <upadhyah@musc.edu>
Subject: Urinary symptoms with terazosin

I saw a 60-ish white male with major depression and benign prostatic hypertrophy who was on terazosin (Hytrin) and whose urinary hesitancy and retention got worse with paroxetine, sertraline, fluoxetine, fluvoxamine and venlafaxine. Nefazodone was the only antidepressant that he did not have urinary side-effects with.

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