Reactions 600 - 11 May 1996

Desipramine

Xerostomia and constipation treated with oralpilocarpine: case report

Oral pilocarpine was found to be very effective in thetreatment of anticholinergic adverse effects associated withthe use of desipramine therapy for major depressive disorderin a 47-year-old man.

The man developed xerostomia and minor constipation afterhe had been prescribed desipramine 10 mg/day, increased to150 mg/day. After 2.5 months of desipramine therapy, he wasprescribed pilocarpine 5mg twice daily, increased to 15mg/day, in an attempt to treat these symptoms. At 4 months,pilocarpine therapy was shown to be very effective.

Author comment: ‘To our knowledge, this case representsthe first published use of oral pilocarpine for treatment of theanticholinergic adverse effects of psychotropic medication . . .we recommend further testing of the safety and efficacy ofpilocarpine for this purpose, especially in comparison tobethanechol.’Salah RS, et al. Pilocarpine for anticholinergic adverse effects associated withdesipramine treatment. American Journal of Psychiatry 153: 579, Apr 1996 -USA 800432596

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Reactions 11 May 1996 No. 6000114-9954/10/0600-0001/$14.95 Adis © 2010 Springer International Publishing AG. All rights reserved