Solutions for Clozapine-Induced Drooling

July 20, 2015 · Posted in Current Treatments · Comment 

 

drooling while sleeping

Clozapine is a treatment for schizophrenia and treatment-resistant bipolar disorder. Drooling is a side effect for about one-third of people taking clozapine. Here are some treatments that may help reduce it:

 

1) Botox injected into each salivary (parotid) gland in doses of 50 IU.

2) Ipratropium, either sprayed under the tongue or intranasally. A 2004 case series by Oliver Freudenreich in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry described sublingual administration.

3) Glycopyrrolate. In a 2011 article in the Annals of Pharmacotherapy, AM Bird described some treatments for clozapine-induced drooling, including glycopyrrolate.

4) The blood pressure drugs clonidine (50–100 mg) or terazosin.

4) Transdermal scopolamine patch. This is typically placed behind the ear to reduce motion sickness, but it also reduces saliva production.