Anticholinergic treatments for focal and generalized hyperhidrosis

Hyperhidrosis is a condition characterized by excessive and uncontrollable sweating that can significantly impact a patient’s physical, mental, and social qualities of life. Standardized quality of life surveys are often used in determining severity. Moderate and severe forms of hyperhidrosis often require second-line treatments which commonly include anticholinergic agents of topical and oral varieties. Only sofpironium bromide and glycopyrrolate are US Food and Drug Administration approved medications specifically for hyperhidrosis, however, several other anticholinergic treatments are commonly used off-label. The purpose of this literature review is to investigate the impact of commonly prescribed anticholinergics for hyperhidrosis treatment as well as their impact on standardized quality of life assessments and associated adverse effects. A total of 31 articles were included and analyzed in this study for review.