Oral glycopyrrolate alleviates drooling in a patient with tongue cancer

Although sialorrhea and and drooling are uncommon symptoms in cancer patien ts, they can cause considerable discomfort, inconvenience and social embarr assment, ln this article we describe a patient with tongue cancer who was s uccessfully treated with oral glycopyrrolate 0.4 mg 3 times daily. Glycopyr rolate is a quaternary ammonium compound. In contrast to the recommended tr eatment with scopolamine, glycopyrrolate is virtually without side effects to the central nervous system because it penetrates the blood-brain barrier poorly. Glycopyrrolate has a slow and erratic absorption from the gastroin testinal system, but even low plasma levels are associated with a distinct and long-lasting antisialogic effect. J Pain Symptom Manage 1999:18:300-302 . (C) U.S. Cancer Pain Relief Committee, 1999.