HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS British Journal of Psychiatry Advances in Psychiatric Treatment All RCPsych Journals		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Submit an eLetter Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via CrossRef Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Cree, A. Articles by Fahy, T. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Cree, A. Articles by Fahy, T.

A review of the treatment options for clozapine-induced hypersalivation

Maudsley Hospital, Denmark Hill, London SE5 8AF

AIMS AND METHOD

To develop and introduce an evidence-based drug treatment protocol for clozapine-induced hypersalivation, a review of published literature relating to clozapine-induced hypersalivation and its treatment was undertaken in March 2000. The databases searched were Medline, EMBASE and PsychLit, from 1966 to the present.

RESULTS

This paper reviews the evidence of the benefit of using antimuscarinic agents, adrenergic antagonists and adrenergic agonists. There is a lack of good-quality controlled-trials, with most papers reporting a series of uncontrolled cases dependent on subjective measures of improvement reported by the patients. However, the published literature suggests a benefit for all of the drug categories reviewed. The most effective treatment may be a combination of terazosin and benzhexol.

CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS

Clozapine-induced hypersalivation is not only an embarrassing problem, but can be difficult to treat. An evidence-based prescribing protocol will encourge the use of those drugs found to be the most effective in treating this problem. It will also offer alternatives if a certain treatment is ineffective or intolerable.