Improvement in Hyperhidrosis Disease Severity Scale, quality of life; side effects frequent but minor
MONDAY, July 6, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Low-dose oxybutynin is an effective treatment for hyperhidrosis, according to a study published online June 26 in the British Journal of Dermatology.
Martine Schollhammer, M.D., from University Hospital in Brest, France, and colleagues examined the effectiveness and tolerance of low-dose oxybutynin for hyperhidrosis in a randomized placebo-controlled trial. Participants included 62 patients with localized or generalized hyperhidrosis (83 percent generalized). Oxybutynin was started at 2.5 mg per day and increased to 7.5 mg per day.
The researchers found that for improving the Hyperhidrosis Disease Severity Scale (HDSS), oxybutynin was superior to placebo, with improvement of at least one point on the HDSS for 60 percent of oxybutynin-treated patients versus 27 percent of placebo-treated patients. The mean improvement in quality of life, as measured by the Dermatology Life Quality Index, was significantly better for oxybutynin versus placebo treatment (6.9 versus 2.3). Dry mouth was the most frequent side effect, which was seen in 43 and 11 percent of those in the oxybutynin and placebo arms, respectively.
“Treatment with low-dose oxybutynin is effective in reducing symptoms of hyperhidrosis in generalized or localized forms,” the authors write.
One author disclosed financial ties to Pfizer.
Copyright © 2015 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
