Robinul is one of the most prescribed medication for managing excessive sweat in US (and other brands with the same compound in other countries). In this post, I have tried to summarize basic stuff about Robinul for excessive sweating.

Robinul for Excessive Sweat

What is Robinul?

Robinul is the class of drugs referred to as anticholinergic. These drugs work by blocking the activity of a certain substance (acetylcholine) in the body, which decreases secretions in general, with sweat being one of the bodily secretions that is effected by this drug.

What is Robinul used for?

Robinul is primarily used for purposes other than Hyperhidrosis, including the following:

  • Robinul and other anticholinergics are primarily used to  reduce secretions in the mouth, throat, airway, and stomach before surgery. This is done to block body reflexes that may interfere with the surgery.
  • These drugs are also used to treat certain side effects of other medicines (e.g. excessive saliva).
  • These drugs also decrease the amount of acid in the stomach. It also slows the natural movements of the gut and relaxes the muscles in the stomach/intestines. Thus these are also used along with other medicines to treat peptic ulcers.

However, since Robinul (and other anticholinergics) reduce sweat production as a side effect, it is increasingly being prescribed to treat excessive sweat condition (Hyperhidrosis) as well.

How do patients Use Robinul for excessive sweating?

Robinul comes in 2 variants – 1mg (Robinul) and 2mg (Robinul Forte) for oral consumption. When using Robinul for excessive sweating, usually the initial dosage of Robinul for adults is one tablet three times daily. Once the sweat is under control, a lower dosage of of one tablet twice a day is generally prescribed. However, the dosages may vary depending on specific patients's situation, and you should never take Rubinul without a qualified medical professional's recommendation.

What are the side effects of using Robinul for excessive sweating?

Anticholinergics like Robinul, when used to treat Hyperhidrosis, produce several side-effects. Most of these effects are due to the primary function of the drug – i.e. to suppress bodily fluid production. These may include

  • Dry mouth
  • Urinary hesitancy and retention
  • blurred vision
  • Faster heartbeats
  • Abnormal heartbeats
  • dilatation of the pupil
  • loss of taste
  • headaches
  • nervousness
  • mental confusion
  • drowsiness
  • weakness
  • dizziness;
  • insomnia
  • nausea
  • vomiting
  • constipation
  • bloated feeling
  • impotence
  • suppression of lactation etc

Should you consider Robinul for treating excessive sweat?

As mentioned above, Robinul comes along with a pretty big baggage of undesirable side-effects, and thus needs to be managed very carefully if taken for the sole purpose of suppressing hyperhidrosis. A lot of patients have found Robinul useful – especially when other treatments did not bring up desired improvement, and when the impact of hyperhidrosis on the quality of life is severe enough to justify potential side-effects.

Do you have a Robinul experience to share with other patients? If yes, please consider share your story, or just leave a comment below