Update 2019: Make sure to read my post on the new Qbrexza glycopyrronium cloths for armpit sweating.
In the summer of 2009, I went to a new doctor for a basic checkup and told her that I wanted to try out Robinul Forte (2mg) pills. This anticholinergic medication is twice as strong as Robinul (1 mg). I wanted to use it for my excessive feet sweating and also test if the drug was effective at even stopping normal body sweating on very hot days. She was not aware that this drug could be used to treat hyperhidrosis, and told me that I would have to visit another specialist doctor first. I then told her about this website and said that I was a specialist too, and luckily she was willing to check out this site:-) About a month later, she mailed me my prescription for Robinul Forte. It seems highly illogical that one can purchase guns, alcohol, fertilizers, chemicals and other potentially deadly products with ease, but cannot buy a fairly harmless drug such as Robinul Forte without a prescription.
If you dislike going to a doctor like myself or can't afford to visit one, you can always purchase Robinul from offshore based online pharmacies. You have to do your own research about which of these pharmacies are legitimate and reputable; which customer reviews are trustworthy; and figure out if you want to risk any potential government action against you. If I wanted to take Robinul Forte for my whole life, I would buy it online from a reputable offshore pharmacy without the hassle of visiting a physician and going to a pharmacy every month; paying deductibles each time; and waiting for insurance company reimbursement checks. Many people do not trust foreign drug companies and online pharmacies are especially frowned upon, but I would reconsider such biases.
Ironically, the US-based pharmacy that I purchased my Robinul Forte from gave me a generic somewhat expensive product made in India. I have seen online pharmacies sell the same product for a lower price and without requiring any prescription. Even if purchased legally in a US pharmacy with a prescription, I doubt that the deficit-ridden US government has enough human and financial resources to regularly check manufacturing practices at the plant in India where this product is made. So in essence, any foreign-made generic medication that you buy legally in the US still comes with risks.
On a somewhat related note, if you want to ever get relatively cheap blood and urine tests without the hassle of visiting a doctor and then going to a lab, I recommend franchises such as Any Lab Test Now, LabCorp and Direct Labs in the US. A doctor might refuse to let you get a blood test that you want to get based on your own research, but these franchises will let you pick from hundreds of tests on their "menu" at will. Sometimes, your medical problem can be so esoteric, that most general physician type doctors will not know anything about the problem while you will know a lot more in this internet age. My own new doctor said that she read my site in detail in order to better understand the subject of localized hyperhidrosis after our first appointment.
This was the first prescription drug that I ever had to purchase from a brick and mortar store in America, and I was surprised that I only got ten tablets for the first round. Once those were over, I could get two additional refills via further prescriptions from my doctor if I wanted. My health insurance covered a large part of the cost of the ten tablets. If you pay out of pocket, it will cost $5 or so per pill, which is totally ridiculous. Costs will add up fast, since the instructions on the case advise taking 2-3 tablets every day. The tablets that I got from a Target pharmacy were generic glycopyrrolate 2mg each, made by Dr. Reddy's in India. Glycopyrrolate is a synthetic anti-cholinergic medication that works by blocking acetylcholine activity on smooth muscles and other tissues.
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I took one pill a day for three days in November 2009. The recommended dosage was 2-3 pills a day, but I had read about people having success with just one pill a day when using this 2mg version of Robinul. I did not see any results and my feet sweating remained the same. Thereafter, in January 2010, I started using the Idromed iontophoresis device. Then, in April 2010, I received Botox injections in my feet for excessive sweating. So I could finally revisit the remaining Robinul Forte tablets only in November 2010 (see next section) when the effects from Botox were wearing off.
To be honest, I was not very keen on taking these pills from the get go. Even if my feet sweating stopped, I was sure that I would not want to take the pills every day for years on end. If I had hand sweating problems too, I might have considering taking the pills every day. However, my hand sweating was cured by ETS surgery in 1998. Nevertheless, I asked my doctor to give me the prescription in order to see what Robinul was all about. I also to remove some skepticism I had regarding a few people claiming amazing results from this product on the forums on this site. People on various patient review sites (links at bottom of this page) also claim to see drastic reduction in severe hand, underarm and facial hyperhidrosis problems. Most usually get at least mild symptoms such as excessive dry mouths and loss of moisture in areas such as the eyes.
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In early November 2010, I finally took the remaining seven pills from my first prescription of ten pills from over a year ago! I took one pill on November 7th, but saw no results. Then I took two pills on November 8th, but still saw no results. Then I took two pills on November 9th and, lo an behold, finally saw results. My feet sweating stopped, and I started getting some side effects. I still took the last two pills on November 10th, and my feet sweating was gone for that whole day too. I could not even detect any moisture in my armpits, where the sweat glands can be hyperactive. Moreover, I could not sense even one drop of sweat on November 11th in any part of my body despite not having taken any Robinul Forte 2mg since the day before.
During this brief four-day experiment with Robinul Forte, I experienced several side effects. The main side effect I got started on the morning of the third day in the form of excessive dryness in my mouth and nose and some dry blood stained thin flakes in the nose. On the fourth day, I also got a minor headache and a very dry mouth, although I did not drink much water on the day before and that could have exacerbated the drying effects of the glycopyrrolate. Overall, the bloody flakes in my nose were annoying, but otherwise, I was quite pleased with Robinul. Note that the blood related side effect is very rare and I had my heating on too, making the air even drier. I might not have had this side effect in summer. Also, I have since read that to reduce the chances of a dry mouth, one should ingest the pill without having it touch the tongue. No idea if that works, but seems logical.
Note that you can find many reviews of Robinul Forte on the Hyperhidrosis Subreddit on Reddit. For example, in January 2023, one person started an interesting discussion on taking Robinul for full body sweating problems. Amazingly, some people are even taking a super high dose of 4mg Robinul Forte twice (or even three times) per day. Most seem to not be getting any major side effects.
Based on my results, I think that Robinul Forte (glycopyrrolate) is very useful if you intend to take it on special occasions such as a wedding or oral presentation. Some people have taken Robinul tablets for years without any side-effects (quite a few such testimonials on the forum on this site), but most people do get some side effects. If I had both hand and feet sweating symptoms, I would tolerate the side effects and take the pills more frequently. With only feet sweating problems, I prefer sticking to iontophoresis or just tolerating the sweaty feet when I am not keen on a regular iontophoresis therapy regimen.
Check out the Robinul Subforum for patient reviews, recommendations and testimonials regarding Robinul and Robinul Forte.
For patient reviews, check out Robinul patient reviews 1.
For even more patient reviews, check out Robinul patient reviews 2.
A great thread with a doctor forum member's advice on Robinul dosage and best practices. Feedback based on his medical knowledge and personal experiences.