Excessive Sweating in Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

I have been going through the sweat-thing and chalked it up to just being “one of those” fibro things. Mine is worst on the scalp and face, but can include my arms and legs.

I use stick under-arm DO, and spray under my breasts and on my back- which seems to help some… That clammy, sticky feeling can be really annoying though! I often have one arm and leg that are perfectly normal, and the other side is cold and clammy-I feel like I’m losing my mind sometimes!

I sweat like this too.wondered if it ead my heart
Guess it is fibro. My scalp and face and under my breasts..

I’ve had excessive sweating of the face and scalp for over 2 years now and tried everything. One of my Dr’s thought it was due to taking Tamoxifen from my breast cancer. When I hit the 5 year mark & quit taking them and got no relief we knew it was probably due to the Fibro because I’ve taken 3 month long breaks from all the meds at one time or another. I had enough with this current (ending, whoop whoop!) summer. I sought out a dermatologist who tried medical strength antiperspirant. It helped some but the tingling, burning sensation along with the skin dryness wasn’t worth the small relief. So 4 days ago I had botox!! I’ve had improvement everyday! And total effect takes up to 10 days, so I am very encouraged!!!! Especially now that I am reading that this is most likely from Fibro and other Fibro sufferers have this. Thank you for the info!

Mine usually hits me at night, when asleep. It seems to effect my whole head and neck, but I can also have full body night sweats at rare times, but the head sweats are the norm. In two to three hours I can soak my whole pillow, but as the night goes on it usually gets better. I tend to buy lots of new pillows. I can sleep hard while it happens, and the wet pillow is what wakes me up. Two of my favorite doctors say they have never heard of anyone doing this before.

Thanks GOD.. I’m not alone.. ^_*

I realize this is an old thread but Im so overjoyed to find I’m not alone that I must post. I’ve had random sweats ever since my second round of cancer / chemotherapy. It was by far the most difficult of my cancers and I came very close to not making it. Ever since I’ve had odd, random events such as sweating. The more damp / clammy I get the more I sweat despite being so cold I’m shivering.
Chronic fatigue seems to be a big factor but any stress on my body will cause me to wake up in a soaked bed and a pool of water on my chest. The worst was after a major surgery a few years ago. I still have nightmares about it. I had an elbow replacement and was in horrible pain. This was one of those hospitals that have attitude about pain control so it was 24 hours after surgery before I saw a pain technician. By then I was soaking my bed every 15 minutes. The nurses piled sheets by my bed and it was up to me to change my linens. I felt like I was in some movie of a sub third world country. I had never experienced an anxiety attack before that week.
I am terrified because next month I am having the elbow replaced again. I’ll be going to a better hospital this time but I am most worried about the sweats than anything else. There’s nothing more miserable than to be cold and wet and unable to get dry. The only solution I have is to keep a stack of bath sheets by my bed when I’m sweating. I can always tell my immune system is under stress because it triggers the sweats. I wish there were an answer but just knowing I’m not a freak makes a huge difference for me.

it happens to me every night pillow soaking wet some times body soaking wet just like i have had a shower

Curiously, I have the opposite problem. I do not sweat at all. No need for deodorant. No sweat, ever.

Thank you! I thought it was some weird peri-menopausal thing that my face poured sweat while my arms were cold enough to have goosebumps. I never would have linked it to the fibro. Getting out of the shower is the worst for me too. Takes me hours to cool off unless I can sit on my bed necked (with the ceiling fan on) for 30-45 minutes before getting dressed. I rarely get up early enough to do that. I walk around with a washcloth. Its is especially embarrassing when I’m in a patient’s room with sweat dripping off my nose. I find myself rushing so I can go in the hall to wipe my face or sneaking so they won’t see me dry my face.

I can’t thank you enough for this column. It has been a blessing to me.

Marecha, Wow I have had the exact same problem for about 5 yrs now. I thought it was pre-menopausal as well.But when I think about it the sweats started at the same time my sevier symptoms started. I couldn’t even work between the hot flashes, the muscle fatigue and pain. I went to the doctor and was sent to a an orthopedic specialist. I am doing better now with Nurotin, lyrica and tremidol. I have to take lots of cool showers and sit in front of the fan afterwards. I walk at least once a day and work in my vegtable garden with my husband.I get exhausted easily and overheat if Im not careful.I drink fluids mostly ice water, stay as cool as possible, and get some kind of excercise every day.My meds help, but getting up and doing something helps me just as much because I’m doing something. I have just recently found out 3 of my maturnal aunts have seveire fibro and both my teenage daughters might as well.

After showering, I turn the water to cool to cold and stand under it and this seems to help me.

I have had CFS/Fibro for over a decade and have had a sweating problem for as long as I can remember. I have been on medical strength antiperspirant which did not work at all and nearly burned my armpits off. One thing that did work for me was changing my clothes (socks, undergarmets, shirts, etc.) 2-3 times a day which I still do. The most successful thing that I do is after showering, I turn the water to cool, stand under it for a few minutes, and make sure it lowers my external body temperature. Girls, it is important that the cool water runs all the way through your hair. I highly recommend this advice. Esther, this is great, right?!

Good luck, everyone!

I have been dealing with muscle and joint paint for about 15 yrs now but was only diagnosed with Fibro about 2 yrs ago. They put me on Cymbalta. It helped immensly with the pain but about a year ago the sweats began in earnest. When I had them before, I thought early meno since I was about 35. Now I’m 42 and they say it’s about that time. I say BS. That wasn’t the problem then and it’s not now. I think it’s the Cymbalta and since that helps with the pain, now I just need to figure out how to ease the sweats. I have had some success with the cooling of the water temperature after a nice warm muscle relaxing shower. It’s the middle of the night ones that are really making me frustrated at this time. But like many people have posted, I’m glad to see I’m not the only one that this is happening to, that’s why I’m sharing my thoughts on the subject. Unfortunately, no real help from me cause I just am just now realizing it’s a symptom of the Fibro. Good luck to all of us

Funny — I always thought that my giant flop sweats ( Hey, Lois, you just come in out of the rain?) were somehow pre-menopausal in nature.Terribly embarrassing to have to deal with the public on a daily basis just drenched in sweat — I worked retail at the time.

I wonder what the connection is between this bit of info about excessive sweating being a symptom of fibro, and the articles I recently read saying that experiencing a good sweat might be actually beneficial to those with fibro? Rather confusing! Maybe Adrienne can find some correlation?

From Your Guide: Interesting question, Lois! This is still an un-researched area, so these is just my best guess, but I wonder if the sweat is our bodies’ attempt to get rid of toxins, real or misinterpreted. Our bodies tend to misinterpret a lot of things as dangerous when they’re not. ~Adrienne

And I thought I was nuts! I was sooo tired of people saying it was a “hot flash” when I certainly know the difference and this IS NOT A HOT FLASH!!! It just happens, IMMEDIATELY! Out of nowhere! You are fine one minute and then BOOM! You are break out in this heat that is unbearable. In fact, its painful! When I try to tell people that, even my doctor, they look at me like I’m crazy! My husband knows and he has even tried to tell the doctor. She won’t even listen to him. Its embarrassing, its humiliating, its painful. And it really does take a toll on you and your life. It makes you want to just sit in a chair with a fan and not do anything. I sure wish they could find something to do about this.

Thank God someone is talking about this symptom.
I swear that it will be 55 outside and I am walking
a dog and I am sweating buckets. It is so embarrassing.
I also discovered how easy I can become dehydrated now
that I am extremely careful and always have a bottle of water
with me.
The one thing I have noticed is that after I sweat my pain
diminishes often. Anybody else have this reaction?

Yes I can say that I know how it is with the sweating thing.I have had to stop doing a lot in my life because of the sweating I can’t cater food or server at weddings or anything else with water dripping off my face,neck and my hair looks like I stuck it under a faucet.I wish someone would help us.I sweat just walking through the house I sweat when it is 25 degrees outside.

My head sweats so bad i carry one of my husbands hanky’s to catch the drips from my hair. I keep my hair short cause I can’t stand it running down my neck. My son does the same thing he say’s it’s anxiety and pain. He don’t take any meds. he broke his back when he was in the navy and lost his arm up to the shoulder in a work accident.

I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and psoriatic arthritis 18 years ago. Right now I am in my 4th flare, having started late last year. The sweats are new to me. I have cold sweats and they come on without warning. I could be sitting up in bed reading when suddenly I realize my scalp is soaked and I feel like I have been misted over my whole body. The only think that has worked for me is to immediately drink a large class of water and lie down until the sweating stops. This is just one more thing in my life to remind me that I am sick. Very disturbing.

Thank you for posting this. In reading the reader’s comments, now I don’t feel so alone in this awful problem.

No one would believe what I go through just to get my makeup on. I have part of a paper towel plastered to my forehead to try to stop the river from flowing down my face. I have another one stuck on my neck. ETC!!!

I tried those scarf things that you freeze in the freezer, but that was not so helpful. I do find that if I rinse a washcloth in cool water and rub it on my neck and up and down my arms, it gives a bit of temporary relief.

You might say, don’t wear makeup! but then I would look like f how I feel and that would be very scary. It’s hard enough keeping friends with these conditions.

I always try to read the links you provide, as they give a lot of extra-helpful information.

Thank you for helping us to become more informed and less alone.

i use certin dry (wallgreens versioon works too) it closes off the sweat glans its over the counter. i started using it when shooting pool. it kept my hand dry.(some salesman use it so they have dry hand to shake w/) you put it on the night before sometime it takes two or 3 app bsfore full effect. good luck

To Mary, I know what you mean when you say you have trouble wearing make up. I would be hotter & sweatier when fresh out of the shower. So, I would try to cool down first. Then I would use a fan to blow on me while doing my hair and make up. It was never enough. It seemed like as soon as the make up touched my skin it set off the streams of sweat from my scalp. So I would use paper towels (they leave less lint than tissues) to blot my face I as I went. Until one day I realized that by the time I got done all I had down was futile….make on….make up on paper towels….finished…..but face looks like I’ve been out all day anyhow so why bother. I stopped wearing anything but a little concealer, waterproof eyeliner & wp mascara. I don’t look the way I used to but I don’t feel defeated before heading out the door.

Update on botox. Yesterday was an almost sweatless day. Today I took my Synthroid (I hadn’t taken a full pill in almost a week) and I have been sweating almost like I did before the botox treatment. So depressing! How do you go to your teenage daughter’s indoor & usually non air conditioned volleyball games while dripping sweat? I use a paper fan or a battery op fan, pat pat patting the sweat with a folded paper towel. Embarassing for me and her!

I’ve given up wearing make-up, just a little lip tint, my hair gets sopping wet in gym and my face runs with sweat regardless of activity. I do find a little ice cold water, sipped slowly, can help me out a bit. Maybe it’s good for my skin, I look a lot younger than I am. Just turning 70. I know it’s my most noticeable symptom. and I hate it.

I wonder what the doctors who blames this on hot flashes/menapause would say is causing this symptom for me,. A 57 year old male with the same sweating issue. I have the problem after showering but I’m wondering if anyone has sweating episodes after eating. This is when it’s the worst for me.

.

Dave, yes, I have the problem after eating and sometimes just thinking about eating brings on the sweat. My GP originally told my I had reactive hypoglycemia, but it has been getting worse and now happens at any time day or night. Ladies I know exactly where you’re coming from re make-up. Once upon a time I would never be seen out without a full face on… now… what’s the point when you see it dripping off onto your favourite top .. I hate it. So pleased I found this column as I really did think I was going mad.

I have the sweating after I eat as well. At the dinner table I have a fan blowing on me while I eat. So between preparing the meal and running around getting everything ready I’m hot and sweaty from the prep but after eating it gets worse.\
Not much fun when you are out to eat and you dont have your fan.

I have the same problem. Freezing one minute, the next I’m soaked. It’s so bad after I shower, that I now only take showers at night so that I don’t have to worry about getting ready and going out afterwards. And forget using the hairdryer… another good reason to shower at night; you can air dry your hair, and having wet hair sometimes helps me cool off.

Like many others, I have pretty much given up on make up, or doing much to my hair. Because I sweat so bad, I can hardly put the make up on, and if I do, then I end up wiping it off with all the beads of sweat. And my hair just becomes this frizzy mess that sticks to my face.

I’ve recently started having really bad night sweats. I wake up in the morning drenched, sopping wet hair and sheets.

Also I’ve recently started sweating buckets under my breasts, which is really annoying. My bra ends up wet and smelling all day, and there’s nothing that seems to help it- not even antiperspirant.

It seems like this mainly happens when I’m doing something physical- even the “simple things” like unloading the dishwasher or taking a shower. If I sit still too long, I get really cold. I think it’s another part to the hypersensitivity from Fibro. It’s definitely something that’s caused me to have to significantly alter my routine. Glad to hear I’m not alone (though I’m sorry others have to deal with this too!)

I’m really glad someone has brought this issue up. I have ME/CFS and Fibromyalgia and have had problems with excessive sweating for years (under arms, face, groin etc).

Do any of you get ‘hot flushes’ as well as the inability to regulate thier body temperate? Or do you start sweating profussely after having a bath? and feel drained/ exhausted/emotionally fragile? or is it just me?

Kris,
I am a very large chested women and here recently I have started swearing profusely under my chest. I find that putting baby powder on just under my boobs before I put my bra on this really helps.
I am so thankful for this article. I thought I was going nuts. I wouldget so hot and start sweating so bad that I would start to throw up and a couple times be on the verge of passing out.
I am really sorry that we all have to go through this but I am very glad that we have someone who cares enough to help us with important information like this. Thank-you!

Regarding sweating profusely, especially the areas around the ears , the scalp, the face, and chest areas: I wanted to make you all aware that ANTIPERSPIRANTS contain the metal aluminum. You can create TOXIC LEVELS of aluminum by using an antiperspirant “all over”. I don’t remember anyone mentioning having recurrent lowgrade fevers (99.8-100.2) which for me just serves to make the hot “hotter”. I’ve always felt that the fevers along with times I’d be having the hot outbreaks regularly that this would be when the virus(es) would have left their hiding places in order to come out and “multiply”. I’d always feel that much worse during that time. I found out several months ago that I am sero-positive for the retrovirus, XMRV and hope to begin with 3 HIV drugs within several weeks. I have no doubt that XMRV will prove to be the causative factor for the other symptoms, including a weakened immune response which allowed me to get EBV, CMV, HHV6, (I should state this more correctly: my body continues to keep HIGH titers to these viruses as though I had an active case which I don’t but my body is reacting to “some” kind of virus and consequently my titers stay fighting mad high. Contact the Whittemore-Peterson Institute in Reno, Nevada and inquire about free XMRV testing if you’ve been diagnosed and have the severe symptoms of CFS. I’m looking at HOPE for the first time in over 16 years and am actually looking forward to taking HIV meds for the retrovirus XMRV until more specific meds are developed. Send your doctors, all doctors, copies of articles about XMRV. 99.9% have never even heard of it and this is your best chance yet at becoming well. MAKE THEM KNOW ABOUT IT! Check out “Phoenix Rising”’s info on XMRV. Marcie

@Marcie…Thank you for mentioning the toxic levels of aluminum that our bodies can get by using antiperspirants “all over.” It is known that too much aluminum exposure causes Alzheimer’s disease, so please be careful! I use Tom’s Deodorant (all natural ingredients, no aluminum) under my breasts and at groin line. I still sweat, but at least I don’t stink too!

I too had given up with trying to find a cause. Funny its often the head, which is what I get too. I have found wearing natural and very breathable clothes a great help. Also i found this great hair powder on Amazon LABEL M RESURRECTION STYLE DUST its a tiny bottle, but you only need a minute bit, and it soaks up the after effects far better than any dry shampoo. I hate dripping from my hair in meetings, not much i can do till I escape under the excuse of a trip to the ladies, then stick my head under the dryer, add the powder, use a natural bristle brush, and then hope the sweat is over!!

I am interested to hear more about the botox – how long did it take to persuade yoru doctor? And was this US or UK?

Dave, mine doesn’t always happen after eating, but it often does.

I’d be interested to know if anyone else notices a pattern of sweating worse either right after or a certain period of time after eating. Though it’s probably still controlled by the dysautonomia, perhaps for at least some of us it’s connected to blood sugar issues, which can cause very similar symptoms!

Oh, and a question about the botox… does insurance/Medicare ever pay for this, or is it also something else we have to pay for ourselves?

Everyone is saying it, but it is so true in my case; I thought I was the only one dealing with the excessive sweats. I just put it down to my weight and menapause. This is a great forum for support. Thank you all for sharing. I don’t feel so alone anymore.

Sweating around the scalp line. All my face, neck, ears and such get wet but the top of my scalp is dry. Exertion seems to trigger it.

I have always had excessive sweating problems. I am very large busted and I use Mitchum’s under my breasts and under my arms. I also sometime tuck strips of regular white t-shirt cloth or cotton fabric in pads under my breasts.
I ALWAYS cool down in the shower, no matter what the weather. The hot water makes your capillaries expand to expose more blood surface to be cooled and so I get dizzy after showers unless I cool down and shut down those capillaries (this is due to dysautonia!)
Any food with hot peppers or “hot” herbs and spices WILL make you sweat. Wine and alcohol can also make you sweat.
I wear natural fiber clothes, loose fitting, and do not wear panty hose. I go bare-legged and wear long skirts and sandals pretty much March-December unless there is snow. I also wear only leather shoes if I have to wear real shoes.
My feet tend to sweat a lot otherwise.
Wiping forehead, back of neck, in between breasts, over arms, elbows wrists, ankles, knees with a wet towel helps if I am out or have walked to work or have done housework. (Same sort of idea as the shower cooldown)
I am almost always hot and sometimes my skin feels as if I have a fever. My husband and cats love it in the winter!

I have seriously sweaty feet all day long. No matter what type of socks I wear and even with deodorant.

I have been in surgical menopause for nine years and take a very low dose hrt for the symptoms, one of which are hot flashes and night sweats. I Still get these bouts of profuse sweating and it is a full body sweat the equals a night sweat (i.e. Drenching me and my clothing Completely!) I find that I get this when I am getting ready to do something socially and I am a little nervous or anxious about going. I get it to a lesser degree after showering and slight exertion but the worst is from social anxiety..It’s like my autonomic nervous system kicks into Overdrive and won’t stop for at least an hour to an hour and a half..By then I am drenched and embarrassed and I feel like I need to leave. It completely Sucks..Espcecially because I don’t often have the energy to go out socially very often. Ugh.

Last weekend I went to 2 stores. Both were air conditioned and I was sweating constantly in both. My whole body was soaked in both stores. Sweat was dripping down my forehead and every where else. I had planned on going to a 3rd store but I just went home – i couldn’t take it again.

I’m so glad you are talking about this really disturbing symptom. I can drip like I just stepped out of the shower and I hate it, without makeup I look post mortem. I’ve tried everything but it pours off, you feel clean for a bit after a shower but not for long.. I had on a long summer dress, a really pretty deep purple and nice and cool for Las Vegas weather, I had puttered in my yard just a bit and started to sweat by the time I got in it was pouring off me, I sat down with a towel to wipe my head and catch my breath when I got up my couch was a pretty purple.
I hate this sweating thing, I go through clothes, sheets and towels like crazy. It’s hard to feel pretty or cute or anything. Boy this topic struck home.

I’ve had problems with excesive sweating for years. I was diagnosed 13 years ago. the least bit of physical activity causes me to get extremly hot and then to start sweating. people around me will have iciles on their eyelases and I’m sweating. I am more comfortable if the air is moving, so I live with a lot a fans. I have a battery powered one that I take to the office with me and some times sit by me while watching TV if hubby is an icecube. This has really helped me out more than anything and it is just a small relief, but some is better than nothing.

I was having “night sweat” which is sweating all over, only at night and my neurologist ran some blood tests. I have a M spike which is some protein in my blood that if you have enough, you have Multilpe Myeloma. So I need to be montored for the rest of my life for a rise in the level of that particular protein. I had never heard of this before and bet many people have not. Anyway, I think if the sweating is at night, people should get that blood test.

I really appreciate all the comments. I had suspected this excessive sweating was from the fribro/cfs and am now convinced thanks to everyone having this problem. Now what do we do?

Thank goodness we’re talking about sweating! I sweat no matter what the temperature is. I sweat all over, especially on my face, chest, underarms, hands, and my bottom. I’ve not found anything that helps. All I can do is use powder and deodorant – often with little effect.

I’m very tired of this (0bviously). I cannot wear solid color shirts or any shiny materials. My sweat will always show through it eventually. I also keep my hair short and cannot wear bangs.

Although I live in a “hot” area, Texas, this sweating has great increased during the many years I’ve had Fibro. Just talking about it helps some. This is certainly not a subject I want to discuss in general conversation with friends.

Thanks so much for bringing this up!

WOW! I just realized why I wound up in the ER a few weeks ago! I had just weaned myself off of Cymbalta and was starting Savella. I began to sweat so profusely that I could not drink enough liquid fast enough to compensate. I was sweating through my clothes to the furniture. I was drinking tall glasses of water CONSTANTLY, was burning up on the inside, and was freezing and clammy on the outside. This happened for several days and I was always in a climate controlled environment – never outside. Now I know that having both Cymbalta and Savella in my system- even in very low levels – was seriously affecting my neroprinephrine level. I was dehydrating at an alarming rate. When seen in the ER, they immediately started fluids because I looked very dehydrated. They assumed I had come in from a very hot day. WRONG!!! PLEASE BE CAREFUL WHEN STOPPING AND STARTING SIMILAR MEDS!!!! I will be alerting my doctors immediately. No one ever mentioned it to me. Because of my medical bills with Fibro, I cannot afford medical insurance. Four hours in ER cost me just under $4,000. FAIR WARNING!!

This is very interesting…I have taken prozac for years…and was just given Savella to start up along with the prozac… I also live in a very hot climate, but even in temp controlled environments with normal exertion I am pouring sweat and itchy all the time, not to mention I will be 34 and have the worse facial acne ever!

Savella makes me sweat profusely. .I just don’t. Take. It.

I’m glad to see your post and two replys to it. I have been considering switching from Cymbalta to Savella but based on this thinking not. Cymbalta is doin a pretty good job for me but I’ve heard good things about the new Savella and wondered if I might do even better. But I already deal with sweats, especially at night now, and do not wanna up that symptom and chance gettin more on the plate. Thank you for the post.

I don’t actually sweat at all. Which is obviously preferable to all these stories. But I do suffer with any rise in temperature – I hate the summer months – I just feel iller in any heat. I wonder if my inability to tolerate the heat is to do with the lack of sweating, that I can’t cool myself down. Admittedly I was the same before the ME, but my ability to tolerate the heat is now much worse.

For those (like me) who find excessive perspiration under their breasts to be a problem: I found a product, called, interestingly enough (!!!) Anti Monkey Butt powder that I find quite effective. I believe that the manufacturer also makes a LADY Anti Monkey Butt formula, in a lovely pink container, which contains some sort of baby powder/calamine whoknowswhat talc — but it works. Cuts down on the perspiration and the chaffing that may result from a damp bra.

I can never get my hair dry after showering. Like Diane, going into stores (even when I am on my scooter) leaves me with soaking wet hair. Walking just a little has the same result.

My problem is that I don’t sweat enough. This has always been the case with me. I also suffer with multiple chemical sensitivities, and this is thought to be directly related to my body’s inability to detox through sweating. It seems that in addition to the symptoms which we share in common (pain, fatigue etc.) each of us has our own unique symptoms.

So today is 1 week since I received my botox. We paid out of pocket because right now I have a very simple insurance plan. It is not worth crap but with my history of breast cancer, cervical neck fusion, another torn cervical disc and the lovely Fibro just to insure me on a better plan is $1,000 per month minimum. We sold our house and rent now to save money. Well the botox was over $500 here in Ohio, USA They injected my forehead, upper lip and chin. I have sweat from my scalp, nose and cheeks too. But she didn’t even want to go beyond treating my scalp for fear of me loosing facial expression. I urged her to please do the lip & chin. The areas that were treated are definitely sweating LESS!!! I still fell overheated and sweat from the other places but at least it is reduced in the areas that are noticeable. If I could also have my scalp done in a few places I would feel better. But this is an improvement. And it might get better yet, they say the full effect can take until 13-14 days after. Would I do it again? You bet! I can now wear a little makeup and feel a little more like myself again. But Fibro is ruining my life in other ways that a shot can’t help. My ex has decided since I sleep so much and don’t work that I must just be lazy and has passed that off on our teen daughter. My new hubby takes awesome care of us both but now daughter wants to go live with her dad! Lord help us all!

I suffer from this too — have found some relief from taking the herbs kava (anti-anxiety) and Butcher’s Broom (helps with vasomotor syncope), stopping Cymbalta, and using strong antiperspirant on face (irritating to skin though). My pharmacist commented that using Inderal might help; this hypertension drug is sometimes used to help with stage fright. Has anyone tried Inderal?

OMG I have been noticing more and more of this. Everyone thinks I’m nuts because I am 32 years old and getting hot flashes. For the most part, I sweat while I’m getting dressed and doing makeup and hair, but lately I have been noticing this when I clean house. Yes I used to get hot while cleaning, but now I drip sweat. I have always hated the heat but this summer I tried to avoid those hot days by staying in the air. If this is what menopause is like, I don’t want it. Can’t I get a break because of the hot flashes I get now? Isn’t that enough torture at 32?

Michelle,
I know how you feel. My sweats started when i was about 35. At the time, I was told it was not menopause but they didn’t know what it was. About 5 yrs later, I was getting them loading the dishwasher so I told the doc we need to figure it out. It turned out to just be another symptom to add to my list and they finally! diagnosed me with Fibro. Now I deal with it more often and try to figure out how to make it stop because it is the most noticable of all my systems. Finally a Fibro symptom the world can see. Only they think it’s something else and I just want it to go away.

Empathise with all of you above. Have found ‘Summer’s Eve’ a Godsend for the under breast and groin sweating. When it gets out of hand and huge itchy rashes appear I use ‘Hydrozole’ cream (over the counter) which is a mixture of mild cortisone and antifungal. Works very quickly and I have had some horror rashes that my husband has photographed. A pharmacist told me to use this until rash cleared and then continue with an antifungal (Canestan) alone for two more weeks. I try to get to it quickly now before it gets bad.
Am pleased that this sweaty thing is not just my being overweight or loony (or both)! Hate it too. Live in Brisbane, Australia – get hideously humid summers – pool and aircon are all that keep me sane (ish).
Had a weird sweaty ‘turn’ recently when taking Lexapro for the first time. Even scared my calm husband – face red with white around mouth. Anxiety made me light headed then. Ruined weekend trip. Have stopped Lexapro and can at least have an orgasm now (not that I have much libido) and no more scary red faces. has anyone had this effect with Lexapro?

Wow… I thought it was just me. I can sweat while standing near an air conditioner. I carry a washcloth with me at work to mop up the sweat. People tell me that my skin is so cold and clammy and can’t believe I am sweating so much. I have fibromyalgia also with DDD, arthritis, carpal tunnel, and now sleep apnea. Something new all the time.

At first, I thought it was pre-menopausal, somehow connected to my hormones, but I’m not really sure anymore. I can have a “sweating flare” when I just THINK of something stressful. Other times, I am perfectly fine and the sweat drips from my head. Night time is bad, usually within 10 to 15 minutes after laying down I will have an episode. Then I fling covers off and try to get comfortable for quite a while after. When I finally do feel like I could sleep, I become very cold and wrap covers back around me, somtimes shivering to sleep! It has gotten worse in the past 3-4 mos. When I’m at a store, visiting friends, whatever I’m doing, I am prone to sweating. I’m very frustrated and wish someone knew how to turn it off!

I have been diagnosed with fibro for 16 years. But in the last 2 years I started with this sweating thing. When I have a bad fibro flair I start sweating and have cold feet. I mean really cold painful feet. Soaking in hot water is the fasted way to relieve discomfort. I have never been a sweater and started wearing a hormone patch when I started with hot flashes at 49 yr old. This new sweating is out of control- changing clothes at night several times. Also during the day- sweating then chills and goose bumps. Hot/sweat- cold/chills all day long. Like bad hot flashes but not due to hormones- due to fibro. This is a new fibro symptom for me, glad to heqr I am not alone! Does anyone else deal with the cold feet thing during a flair?

Lori,
While my feet don’t seem to get the painful part of the cold feet, they do get very cold at times. One night I might not be able to get warm but yet I still sweat some and the next night, I’m super hot and sweat a ton. My feet seem to always be cold. I invested in some microwavable feet socks but only heat them for 1 minute or they are too hot. Not sure if this will help but it has seem to even out my body temp a little by just warmin up my feet. Still sweat some but I’ve just begun some new meds too so not sure how it’ll all play out yet.

Hi Shelly,

Just reading this amazing forum. I thought it was me being overweight( BMI 42) but i am so” relieved” to see I am not alone (although; my commiserations to all of you as we are all in a very uncomfortable situation). I can say that my symptoms are identical to yours. I find the only thing that helps me is cool air and lots of it, which when in the office on a day -2 C degrees everyone thinks you have totally lost your marbles. it is especially bad before important meetings and then nobody is listening to you but rather watching your forehead which is threatening to flood the room!!!!!!!!!!!!

This site is a wealth of information. What a relief to read I am not alone. Sweating after a shower, any exertion – literally drips off me, especially my head — my hair never dries. The cycle of sweating and freezing is so common for me during the night.

I have found that Clubman’s Talc makes a huge difference– it is zinc based so no rash develops. Before I found it I was using Aveeno Anti-itch cream, which is marvelous. It stops itchy rashes after only a few applications. You can use talc after you apply it.

Again, thanks so much for all the wonderful information found here.

I have just read everyone’s comments and I am utterly astonished that I am not the only person in the world with this problem. I have been doing research for two days now to try and find a cause for the excessive sweating. All the symptoms described are exactly the same for me and my doctor had me almost convinced that I am still going through menopause. No way! This summer has been horrible – the humidity has almost done me in and the air conditioning sends shivers throughout my sweaty body, head, neck, face, back, chest, and underarms mostly, as it dries. I don’t go anywhere due to the embarrassment and smell. I change my clothes 2-3 times per day and also suffer from night sweats. There just has to be a solution! Now if we could just find someone or something to help us.

Yes Adrienne, I have a massive problem with overheating and sweating mainly from the head. I ran the Air Cooling all during winter because I felt like a prawn thown into boiling water. It is so severe I nearly pass out with it and have to lie down, even on the floor at times if I cannot make it to the bed. The shower is worse and though I need warm water for my neck and back, I have to keep it temperate. My is partly the FMS and the Medications, but I cannot manage without the medications. Lately I have been desperate with pain. I am just sick of the whole thing. I hope to see a Musculo-Skeletal Specialist soon to see if Intramuscular or other Injections can lessen the spasms. Thanks for your article. My sister has now developed the condition full blown and we have a cousin who has had it for years, well 2 cousins really, but from different sides of the family and my mother has it so there must be some genetic component to the condition, set off by Infection or God Forbid, cross infection even. Research is what we need but there is nothing much happening here in Australia. It seems to get more attention in the USA.

I have this sweating problem even when sitting and in winter so heat doesn’t have much to do with it. I also have noticed I start feeling warm and sweating while eating, but the very worse part to me is the freezing and goosebumps when I am soaking wet all over and go into a place with air conditioning. I feel like a crazy person shivering like I am in a freezer, sitting in the hospital or walking in the grocery I am miserable and a stinking mess from the sweat. My doctor of course said hot flashes, it’s been 12 years since I went through the change, but of course she put me on another drug. The only good thing seems to be losing weight, I have lost 50 lbs in six months without trying.

So glad I found this column! Several years ago, I found an article that said some anti-depressants can cause sweating. I changed from Doxipin to something else and the problem went away. This, after 2 1/2 years of being told “Hormones!” However, now the sweating is back, with a vengeance, and I am not taking any anti-depressants. I suppose it is just the fibro,– but I don’t have to like it!

my sweating is mostly chest and breasts and comes at night and wakes me up, ggggrrrr. my doctor even had me run to the er for blood tests in the middle of one. this showed mycoplasma infection. but dont know if it was active or not. he didnt say anything about treatment, of course. but when this does occur, i feel terrible when i wake up in the morning . i know im going to have a bad day or bad spell. it usually happens 3 or 4 times in a row, and then it stops for a while, then starts up again. it is definately a cycle type thing. but i have had months when im in a good spell when i dont have it.

I can’t believe this, I am not the only one!! I’m 56 yrs old and used to NEVER sweat but in the last few years, it has gotten worse and worse. I thought it was menopause, (Drs said it was… but 8 yrs??), then they said too much thyroid med. We’ve lowered that and sweating is still a problem. DHEA test was ordered and that was a big SHOCK. Normal blood levels for my age should NOT be over 414, my reading was 1300!! Some symptoms of high levels of DHEA in the body is excessive sweating, hair loss, deepened voice and the growth of facial hair!! Oh my gosh. So my endocrinologist is monitoring me and is baffled.

My sweating can be horrible. I get out of the shower (cool water) and at times can get makeup on if I hurry. Normally though, I have to go in stages… stand in front of the fan, eye liner, go back and stand in front of the fan, eye shadow, back in front of the fan, some fast blush. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to leave the blush brush out to dry! I’ve started to wear my hair up in a pony tail to get it off my neck My bra stays damp and my underwear is always damp too(I never thought I’d be TELLING anybody THIS)!! I’ve been using Ammens powder. Sexual relations with my husband ends up with my sweat making ours bodies SLIDE. He kisses me and he has to wipe his mouth,says it’s like kissing a “wet washrag.” I sit in church and when I break out in one of my sweats, I use the bulletin to fan my face, I just want to hide. These sweats come out of nowhere, they are very Powerful & fast, like I have a sauna inside my body. After a few minutes, it subsides.

To top it all… I have scoliosis & the pain is out of this world. So I must sit with a HEAT PAD behind my back. You can’t even imagine having this sweat problem & having to sit with a heat pad cranked on High.

I’m not alone, nor am I crazy. Lord, help us.

I’ve had FM for over 3 years, but it’s only been recently that I’ve had a problem with sweating, so I’m not sure my sweating is connected to fibromyalgia. However, I have very recently (in the past couple weeks) been having other symptoms that sweating might be related to… maybe. I’m still being diagnosed for these new things.

But regarding the sweating, for me it’s not just being out in the heat (which is really good for my fibromyalgia overall), but any bit of exertion. I mean, it’s really ridiculous how little exertion it takes for me to just break out in a sweat as if I’d been doing back-breaking work. Vacuuming & cooking, for example, cause me to sweat profusely. Cold showers seem to help, but what seems to work even better is to do something sedentary for a while to cool down.

For me, being in heat is a contributing factor, but the main thing is exertion, even very little exertion. I go outside and pick a handful of baby weeds and I have to come inside because I’m sweating so much, although you’d think I’d just dug up a field of potatoes for the amount of sweat.

This has just been recent, so I haven’t even talked about it with my doctors, especially as I’ve had so many health things going on that makes this sweating sort of fall by the wayside. I guess I should tell my doctor(s) about it though.

Margo

Margo,
I see the date on your post is from 9/2010. Hope you’ve gotten some answers. Yesterday I told my husband I seem to live in Nowhere cause that’s where I always end up when I go to see a doctor! My most recent visit was to a Rheumo specialist. She took 15 tubes of blood and about a cup of urine. Results: no problem except a small amount of micro blood in my urine. even said all my muscle inflammation was normal. But this did not match what my other doc said when he put me on Cymbalta about 2 yrs ago! Which something would make sense and match all my pain and fatigue. Sorry to ramble.

I was responding to your post because it’s sounds so much like me. They only diagnosed me with Fibro about 2 yrs ago but I’ve been dealin with the symptoms for about 15. About a year ago the sweats started up really bad doing little things like loading the dishwasher and folding laundry. Like you, I’d have to sit for a period of time to “cool down” even in the winter. I was way outta balance, two hours in the yard was a four hour nap to recoup; 10 minutes loading the dishwasher was 1/2 hour resting on couch to re-energize. I didn’t like the ratio. So I started pushin my doc again and we decided a specialist was in order to confirm the Fibro rx. Now it’s back to testing of bodily fluids and meds to rule out everything. So I kinda feel like I’m back to Nowhere and startin all over. Time will tell if it’s more than Fibro or just more symptoms of the same.

So it’s a symptom of fibromyalgia! I sweat mostly at night while trying to sleep. I’m up and having to change my sleepwear 2-3 times per night. It is good to know that I’m not alone in this.

Thank you, thank you! My sweating is out of control. Plus I live in Houston, where it is almost always really hot and humid. So you can imagine the rivers of sweat I typically have. I take cold showers and then try to air dry under the ceiling fan in my bedroom, and I apply baby powder everywhere, but nothing seems to help. I sweat all over, too — my head, neck, face, back, under my breasts, and (how humiliating) my butt.

I also have this weird thing where my body temp seems to rise overnight rather than fall, like a “normal” person’s. I have to keep my house at 68 if I don’t want to wake up in the middle of the night covered in sweat.

Granted, when compared to the neverending pervasive exhaustion and full-body pain, sweating isn’t THAT big of a deal. But it’s certainly embarassing and definitely affects my quality of life.

Since before I was diagnosed with Fibro/CFS I was always sweaty but never under my armpits. I now sweat so bad all over my body but my body remains very cold to the touch and my feet are alwsys freezing cold. What is this about?

I had this problem too when I hit the apex of my chronic fatigue symptoms. Thankfully it has gone now as I seem to be going into remission of the worst of the disautonomia. I would break out in a sweat from loading the dishwasher! It would be in my scalp, but also under my breasts and crotch. It felt awful–I would sometimes go change my underthings because I got so sick of the damp/clammy feeling. Even before the cfs hit, I had problems with blow drying my hair–most of my life! Hard to have pretty hair when your scalp is sweating. Now I mostly air dry and use a diffuser on low and that has eliminated it for me. But I have curly hair and can get away with it! Just keep improving your diet. I think diet and poor digestion are predisposing factors to these syndromes. I have recently come across some information about fructose malabsorption that I personally think could be a contributer to the development of these syndromes–it causes IBS symptoms and MANY of us have those. It may not be a symptom, but a cause. Look into it if you think you have digestion issues. It can keep you from getting all the nutrients from your food. I have eaten a stellar diet for years and still got cfs–but I’ve always had bowel probelms. Now I think I may know why. This fructose malabsorption is a new discovery, from Australia and they are doing research there. Google it or read Wilipedia for more info. Cheers!

I too suffer from this! I had a total surgical hysterectomy in ‘95 and was dx’s with fibro in ‘99…still suffer with terrible sweeting….all docs say is menopause…ha! that was a long time ago. I suffer terribly mostly on head, sometimes back too. It just drips and drips. I have rx for cream from derm. doc for back which helps there but suffer with head. Question for everyone…has anyone ever heard of any clinical trials for help with this? Has anyone had enough clout to suggest some kind of study where SOMEONE with a MD would LISTEN and maybe study this seriously?

I am interested in all the comments about sweating,I am going to try the Vit C as I have so many issues ,but I had cancer [colon]i was told that I had only a few months but the blessing was I overcame the problems [even though I had a terrible toxic reaction to chemo.]Then I got a vius and like the rest of you I have gone down with all the symptoms and one is sweating my whole body never stopped .I had so manuy problems after the surgery that I was put on a medication called Oxybutintin [ this was for a bladder problem,the medication is a Anticholinergic as well as for bladder problems] I am not sure if it is available to everyone but it sure stops the sweating 5mg B D once you settle down with the medication .I can only say I was nearly at breakdown stage with all the washing I also have a severely handicapped son ,so all I did all day was sweat and wash,to me it is like a miracle now .I do not know if this would help anyone or as I said it was for another medical condition so you would have to discuss this with your medical Doctor.
You have to watch your teeth as mouth is dry at times so take care there, dicuss that issue with your dentist.

Just another comment about the medicaion Oxybutinin it helps with the sweating as I have mentioned but it does not help any other symtom with people who have C F S like I have ,I still have terrible headaches sore throat and fatigue and all the rest ,so I do not want for any one to get their hopes up that it helps other symtoms,Regards

I want to say, as I read your letter it I couldnt believe the similar things we have had I to had cancer 2 times Ovarian Chemo and all that I to had a virus in the summer Did Vit C do anything ,for the sweating ? I also have headaches High blood pressure .After I read your emails I took the Oxybutin and it took away the sweats I want to thank you so very much for this advice I can put up with the dry mouth .I hate the sweats This has helped me soo much
God bless you for that Kate

I have excessive sweating which was put down to menopause, but seeing all these comments confirms my belief its part of the syndrome. I suffer from sweating which just suddenly flares up – my scalp and neck, under my breasts and my body feels ‘misted’ over as if a fine spray has been applied. I carry a large man’s handkerchief always, to mop up. It’s pretty embarassing, but most of the folks who are in my life seem to understand it’s part of my condition. Sometimes I need a tea-towel its so bad, and like the others, it just washes off my makeup! I have FMS, osteo arthritis and psoriatic arthritis and the excessive sweating affects my psoriasis causing eruptions on my head, ears, nose, chin. Lovely! This needs to be taken more seriously – it surely affects our quality of life and research needs to be done!

I thought I was going crazy with the sweating thing. So glad to know I am not alone. It can be freezing and snowing and I will just pour sweat! I hate it!!!!!

Oh, the sweating! From the head & under my breasts, it gets so hot under my breasts I reckon I could fry an egg. When I’m really sick it smells funny too, my bras smell vaguely like urine, yet I don’t get that BO smell. Just after the shower is the worst for me too, especially in summer. I start with the water hotter & gradually turn it back to luke warm before I get out. Still need to stand in front of a fan after & I put on my clothing as the last thing, so I can cool down. When its bad I put white vinegar in with the wash or the wierd smell doesn’t come out of the clothing. It also corrodes my metallic glasses frames pretty badly. It strips the colour off them.

In the last year I began another bad FM flare & I’ve had night sweats too, I thought at first I was peri-menopausal. I also take Tertroxin for Hashimoto’s & one of the side effects is, you guessed it, excessive sweating. I can start for no reason, a slow shuffle through an air conditioned shopping centre can set it off. I get so wet with sweat & red & hot I’ve had people think I’m about to have a stroke & they make the embarassing comments about the sweating too. What do they think you can do, turn it off?

I don’t wear much makeup these days either. I’ve had some success recently with mineral makeup staying on, but make sure its bismuth free, or it itches like crazy with all the perspiration.

Sweating during and/or after eating was partially the result of my blood sugar dis-regulation. I was diagnosed with diabetes about 18 months ago, so now my meals are much more balanced. I eat every three-to-four hours to prevent a drop in my blood sugar (hypoglycemia), which can also cause sweating. Another simple cause was eating foods, like soup, while they were still steaming. Now I eat smaller servings and switch between steaming foods and cold foods like salads.

Sweating at night while your extremities are freezing can be the result of your body responding to shock. Shock can be caused by a number of things made worse while you are sleeping: low blood volume (which can be caused by dehydration from – you got it – sweating!); low blood pressure/neurally mediated hypotension/autonomic dysfunction; an inadequate intake of oxygen caused by sleep apnea, nasal congestion, or asthma. When your body goes into shock, blood is redirected to your core so critical functions can be maintained. In my case, a mild form of asthma was causing this to happen.

From one to three days prior to the start of my period I also have night sweats-especially from my head. I sleep with a fan on my nightstand and I point the fan at my head to cool it down. A wet washcloth on my forehead or the back of my neck helps, too.

The most effective powder I have found is “Quinsana Plus” with 1% tolnaftate (purchased in the US). This powder is an antifungal, absorbs moisture, and feels very silky. One of the things I especially like is that it doesn’t clump when it gets wet, which I find is a problem in my shoes.

Sweat residue irritates my skin so I carry makeup remover cloths with me when I am away from the house. This keeps my skin from becoming itchy and the cloths provide some cooling benefits.

Multiple Sclerosis patients can experience similar symptoms and many of their support forums provide product information and good ideas for finding relief.

interesting, I just told my Gyn Doc about it and he said it was not hormonal and probably I just needed to loose weight. It is so severe at times, I find myself avoiding social situations when I am in the “sweating mode”

For the past few years I have lived with excessive sweating, mostly in my face and scalp. If the sweating isn’t embarrasing enough, my face turns the deepest shade of red. This happens several times per day, mostly with no physical exertion. I work at a primary school so I am constantly around people. I want to crawl under a chair and never come out when people comment on my red face and sweating. Of course I am the only like this so they think I am a freak, well I think I am a freak. It can be 30 degrees outside, everyone around me freezing with layers of clothes on and all I am wishing is that a blizzard wind will start blowing to cool me off.

After the sweating begins, I become short of breath and so tired I want to lay down, and I start yawning. I have been to the doctor, been in the hospital, and no definitive reason for my symptoms.

Same thing happens to me. Out of the shower, take an hour to put on makeup. Blowing air to cool off and dry the sweating. Then when I eat, excessive sweating & then 1/2 hour later I get extremely tired. Can’t hold my eyes open?????? Pleae help.

I sweat like no tomoro. I’ve read all these blog s, I’m sweatingas I write this I sweat all night long ,,sometimes I don’t sweat at all ,,we still don’t have any answers ,I just know I’m over it started about 6 months ago ,I sure wish someone could help us .I have no clue what to do ,,it happens after I eat a lot ,I just talk to somebody and I start sweating then stops .my pillows art drenched help I’ll try anything !!!@

How do all of you just accept this… it is ruining my life… i can’t sleep because I’m drenched all night and then I can’t functon all day because of sweating profusely all day… there must be a reason… why isn’t anybody concerned enough to find out why, why doesn’t anybody want to find out why we are like this… I won’t accept it, I can’t live with this along with everything else… search people, search… lets help one another… talk to your drs… do SOMETHING….

I have been trying to do something about it for quite some time now. I have searched the internet, I have talked to my doctor, who contends that it has something to do with menopause. No way, I am finished with menopause. I did try and take Oxybutynin (Ditropan, Lyrinel XL) which is an anticholinergic medication used to relieve urinary and bladder difficulties. Oxybutynin is also a possible treatment of hyperhidrosis, or hyper-active sweating. This helped with both problems but the side effects are several and the acid indigestion became too much. My doctor wants me to try again and I might just try it again as I enjoyed not having the sweat pour down my face, neck, and chest. Besides this I am at a loss as to what more can be done. If anyone has any ideas, please let me know.

Linda,
I’m sure you have tried like everyone here… it’s SO AWFUL.. something has to be done about this for all of us who suffer with so much…
After two months of suffering and waiting to see a endocrinologist yesterday I saw one right from down BELOW…it was one of the worst experiences of my life… he told me that even though I’ve had a FULL HYSTERECTOMY I’m still in menopause and that I had to see my gyn and my dermatologist for BOTOX… I was a good hour away at a huge group of Hospitals for this app. and good thing I brought a friend as I cried all the way home from despair… what was I going to do now??? After getting some sleep I called my primary care doctor and told them what happened and then I called my gyn dr. and got an app. for tomorrow.. I then called the office where I saw that horrible dr. and talked to the secretary there and told her what happened and she told THE CHIEF OF THE ENDCRONOLOGY Dept. and he called me back within 5 minutes… He apologized and told me that he personally would like to work with my drs. to try and help me and stated that this dr. would be disiplined for his actions… another dr. was in the room, a very sweet young woman dr. and she couldn’t believe it but she could testify for me.. So we’ll see what happens… I guess we just keep trying… God Bless You and all of us here..

I am diagnosed with FM. I seem to be very sensitive to heat, the result of which is profuse sweating. My back seems to be the worst, with it becoming saturated. However, it is generally all over. Strangely, I can feel cold soon after (like fever). The sweat also feels very sticky ie it does not seem to completely dry – needless to say, but clothes are wasted after this. This is not my recollection of “normal” sweating. Is FM sweat different to normal sweat? I also note the sudden onset of sweating that can come from exposure to heat or stress.

I am so glad to see this discussion – I have been suffering in silence with these very embarrassing hot sweats, and more recently, it is affecting my hearing, since I use two hearing aids which are constantly malfunctioning due to getting wet!!!

I have tried so many things to try to reduce them, but no joy.

Oh my gosh. I thought I was the only one. No Doctor would listen to me, only told me I was menopausal. I’m 63 years old and still on hormones for hot flashes. I know it not menopausal. I am at my wits end. I don’t know what I can do. After reading what all of you wrote I am glad to know this is not just in my head and that there are others out there that have the same symptoms. I get extremely hot, I sweat profusely, I feel drained like I can’t even stand up anymore. I can hardly go grocery shopping because I never know when these attacks are going to happen. My husband goes with me and gets me water. We used to think it was because of low blood sugar because I have diabetes but I’ve tested while this is going on and my test is normal, not low. And this is what it feels like. Like my body is being attacked from the inside out by heat, sort of like baking. I keep telling my husband I am going to combust right before his eyes. Sometimes it’s so bad I have to go to bed and then I still have the hot flashes and feel very weak. At least I am lying down. Sometimes I have to stop driving and sit there until it passes. I finally got on the internet to see what I could find out what I can do about them. I feel worse that you all seem not to have found anything to help and I feel better to know there are other people that have this same problem and I’m not going crazy.
Thanks for all your stories. I wish we could find some help. I’ll keep looking.

Wow I thought I was alone with this issue. Have been diagnosed with a million things which fibro, chronic headaches, deg. disc diease, depression, high blood pressure, vitamin d def., and fluid build up behind my ears that causes ringing and pressure. I pour sweat during the day when the heat is on in the house and at night when I am in bed cold as can be but sweating. I hate this cause I sweat from my head down and alot of sweat which really is very embarrising and during the summer I can’t go out at all without my hair pulled back and yet I sweat like I would have been running a marathon. Forget going out in public and it always follows me then. No dr seems to think it is a issue but me personally do think it is. Well thanks for letting me share!

Thank goodness, after all this time, I have finally found out what is causing my terrible sweating. I was diagnosed with fibro several years ago. It is SO embarrassing, and annoying to have to keep apologising to people about the sweating – mainly from my head, like a fountain, onto my ears, glasses, etc., and my back and upper body. I am constantly wiping my face with a kitchen towel [tissues are a waste of time!]. I rarely wear make-up now. When I finish showering, the activity of drying starts the sweating in a big way, so when I’m dressing to go out I sit and cool down before I put on my clothes. I walk around with a hand fan like some Spanish sinorita. I have to wear lose, natural fibre clothes without sleeves. The advantage there for me is that I live in the tropics. Then when everyone is warm, I feel cold and have to use a shawl. It’s crazy. I went through menopause and cold sweats ago, and that was different. I feel so much better now that I know I’m not the only one.

So I suffer from excessive sweating from my head, neck and chest mostly. I have been having this problem for about 2 years now. I am about 50 lbs. overweight but this started before I was overweight. I am now overweight becuase I can never do any kind of activity. The slightest movement even trying to take a shower, get dressed, wash dishes or anything i start to sweat alot. My underarms are mainly okay becuase I have clinical strength deorderent to put on.
My sweat does not smell.When I am soaked I could easily squeeze my clothes and the water runs out of them. My hair gets so soaked it looks like I just washed my hair and then to top it all off I get really cold sweats after I start to cool down and I am sitting . I always need the icepack on my head also I get very bad migraines. I also need the air conditioner and fan blowing on me. My skin feels cool to touch yet my face is beat red and I am drenched in sweat. Continued on next post. Michele

I cannot stand this. I have been to several drs and none of them can figure it out. They all say that I do have a problem but they just dont know what it is. I have had several tests more than I can name including blood work and sometimes the bloodwork comes back abnormal and one minute they think I have Pheochromycytoma and then the next minute my bloodwork is fine so then they dont think I have pheo and then they give up and on to the next willing dr.
I am going crazy. I have lost most of my friends cause they dont understand that I cant do anything without going through all of this and afterwards I end up with the chills and a bad headache. It is not worth going through this so most of the time I am just sleeping or laying on my recliner so I dont have to go through this. On top of everything I also was diagosed at the age of 17 with Fibromyalgia so that surely does not make it any better. I cant even make it to Wawa and family functions are another embarrassing thing. Everyone looks at you like why are you sweating its like winter time and I am dressed like summertime yet still drenched. If anyone else is like me please contact me. I would like to talk to someone that is also going through this. Also if anyone has any answers that would be great or any suggestions! Thanks! Michele

I have found an great site for this problem the answers are in here check it out very helpful I am trying
oxybutynin. It took a few days.. good luck…. kitty

http://www.scumdoctor.com

I too, have been dealing with increased sweating. When I first started Savella, I had terrible sweating – drenched all the time, even on my palms. Now, I break out in a clammy sweat with minimal exertion (walking across a room), after eating, and after showering, I also use a fan to try to dry off more before I get dressed.

I’m not willing to rule out peri-menopause, as I’m 51, and also starting to have heavier periods, but really think much of it is related to the medicine. The Savella and Lyrica combination works very well for most of my fibro symptoms, however, so I bought a “clinical strength” antipersperant that keeps me from smelling like I did when I was 13, and I’m actually dry under the arms. I am also using powder more than ever before.

No night sweats, however.

Since commenting on the site I went and saw an endocronologist after a two month wait and he came in and told me THERE WAS NOTHING HE COULD DO FOR ME AND TO GO SEE A GYN OR A DERMATOLOGIST AND WALKED OUT AND LEFT ME IN TEARS…it was awful….
Then I went back to my gyn and she put me back on 2mg. of pure estrogen and after about 3 weeks at least the night sweats stopped but the day sweats didn’t and now i’m back to bad night sweats and day sweats and I see my gyn tomorrow… I’m at my wits end and life is awful… I don’t know how to deal with this any longer… I’m going to go to the site about the oxybutynin…. oh God please hear me….I pray for help for myself and ALL OF YOU.. I can’t live life like this, and nobody understands… my brother told me last night that this is my life and I have to learn to deal with it.. I do, I can’t go anywhere or do anything.. I’ve become a couch potato and very, very lonely and what makes it worse is nobody seems to care.. I guess they do but they don’t know what to do or say so I get ignored…
Ginny

I understand exactly what you have been going through. Been there done that. Right now we are in the middle of winter -24 C below. Sweating is not as frequent as in the summer time but still have day and night sweats; especially getting dressed, after a shower and when I am stressed. I keep saying to myself, “stay calm, don’t get frustrated and try to deal with it until somebody comes up with some help”. Physically it doesn’t help but emotionally I am trying to deal with it. I haven’t found a doctor who can help so I need to learn how to deal with it myself until I find some help; otherwise I could go insane. Its good to share with others so you don’t feel all alone. As with the pain, excessive sweating is just another symptom people with fibromyalgia must deal with that nobody else can help with. Take care and lets all hope and pray that we get help soon.

Gosh, most of you guys are a carbon copy of me! I have fibromyalgia (wish the dr’s would figure out what it really is) and thyroid disease. I sweat profusely, whole body, dripping sweat. I take cold showers, doesn’t help much, but a hot shower would be unmerciful.
I live in Florida so summers are unreal for me. I basically live in my pool and even sweat while I’m in there. In fact, I became so hot while trying to cook supper tonight, I went and put my feet in the pool. The water temp was 54 degrees but felt like heaven.
I have had the sweating problem for the last 15 years or so and gets worse each year.
I wishn Dr’s would take us serious. Possibly a problem with the endocrine system?????
The only thing I can do for it is sit still, drink lots of water and take potassium for cramps from dehydration.

OMG am I ever so GLAD to read this!!! For over 2 years now I have suffered this horrible symptom of fibromyalgia!! We have had minus 10 degrees recently, and you sure do get some very STRANGE looks when you go out in a T-shirt in that temperature.

I am coinstantly being asked by supermarket checkout girls if it is pouring with rain outside because I am literally dripping all over the conver belt. I feel like either not going out anywhere ever again, OR wearing a sign saying – ‘NO, it’s not raining, and NO, I didn’t come out straight from the shower I have a medical condition and this is just one of the symptoms!!’

Boy am I glad I kept this post. For years I’ve been wondering about excess sweating, —- especially having a hot drink or hot meal. now it looks like a side effect of my fibromyalgia and or CFS/ME. None of my medics have been able to answer this question so I think they must have thought I’m “off my rocker”. Thank goodness for this site—
I’m now getting the answers I’ve been seeking.

Do any of you have breathing difficulties ??? I’d love to know if you do.

Thank you to everyone for commenting. I was starting to think I was going nuts. The doctors were looking at me like they thought I was nuts. Like the sweating was not a major problem. On it’s own it’s not a major problem but you add that to all the other problems of CFS and Fibro and we’re getting close to breaking this camels back. I’ve started sweating since taking pain killers and antidepressants. Prior to that I always felt cold and my joints were painful and stiff. Sweating is the lesser of these two evils but is it too much to ask to find a cure?

Thank you to everyone who has shared their comments. I, like so many others with Fibromyalgia have suffered with the profuse sweating. The chronic pain, leg cramps and severe fatigue are bad enough but the sweats are about to do me in. I have most every sympton of each story posted regarding what triggers the sweating, like showers, vacuuming or any type of activity and sometimes I sweat doing nothing. My doctor is very caring and has tried several things to help stop the sweating but so far it has remained a mystery. FYI, I have a few suggestions worth trying, I shower first without getting my head wet then I wash my hair in the kitchen sink with very cool water. I wear powder foundation makeup by SheerCover. I order it online. JC Penney carries BareEssentials which is very similar to SheerCover. I drink at least 5 bottles of water a day and I always keep a bottle of water in my car and purse at all times. Well, other than all of us moving to Alaska and living in an igloo I don’t have any other suggestions. I really appreciate the information about the Oxybutinin and if my doctor will put me on it I will post again to let ya’ll know good or bad how it works for me. I am just so happy to know we are not in this alone, I guess misery really does love company ! Everyone be blessed and all of you are in my prayers.

UPDATE: After reading comments by Kitty regarding Oxybutynin (5mg 3 x per day) I called my doctor the very next day and ask if she would let me try it. She called it in that day, Feb 17, 2011 and within 24 hours I had stopped sweating. I felt the flush and heat in my face but did not sweat. Now after being on the Oxybutynin for four days the heat, flush and sweating are gone! I consider this a miracle. I highly recommend this medication and will be forever grateful to Kitty and this website for sharing this amazing information. Good Luck to all of you!

i have looked up the Oxybutynin and it does not mention about sweating pam did your doc look it up im not saying it’s untrue i want to make sure so i have all my bullet’s to fire to the doctor. If it work’s i will be so excited i would be tickled pink sorry gettting to excited there lol.Would be great if you could give me some more detail’s on it pam or i have stress incontinence too,and the tablet sound’s like the oxycontin and oxynorm im on also.Right look forward to you getting intouch im also on facebook.Take care pam x

Mine is defo the fibromyalgia/cfs/pos/si/ibs/thyroid’s/allergies/and so on there is more but do not want to bore you as i do get sick of it too.Anyway i sweat from head to feet and it is so embarrising sometimes when out in the summer and my back is totally wet you can wring them out and that goes for my trouser’s too it sometimes look’s like i have wet mysell,I wish there was a cure i have just read pam’s mail and i think i might ask the doctor for a try of them hoping i can take them with all the tablet’s im on.
I do also think that the tablet’s have a lot to do with it but i did sweat alot before trhem so the fibro is the problem good luck to all

I almost cried when I read your paragraph about sweating after a shower or bath. And on your forehead! I am still waiting for an “official” diagnosis, but have been chronically exhausted for two years and in constant pain for about a year now. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!! I am printing this off and taking it to my doctor next week!!

I was so happy to find this info. I had a hysterectomy in 2001, and since then have had extreme problems. I have gained about 70 pounds of weight, been diagnosed with fibromyalgia, high blood pressure, irritable bowel syndrome, etc. I have been having a lot of pain, some hair loss, extreme fatigue, and very extreme sweating, almost on a daily basis. I am so tired of it. It actually makes me physically ill, to where I just have to go to bed. That is very hard when you have to hold down a job. Luckily, I work from home doing medical transcribing, and the company is very understanding and forgiving, allowing me to work part time and take a lot of breaks. My problem is, is that it is getting worse all the time. I, like so many of you, don’t even try to wear makeup anymore, because: #1) it’s hard to get on, and #2) it just melts off if I do manage to get it on. I am on about 10 prescription medications. I have been tried on every type of hormone in the book, and nothing even phases these sweats. If anyone has any suggestions, I would be very happy to hear from you. I have a hard time doing anything, not just because of the sweats, but I also suffer from severe fatigue, depression, and a lot of pain, with my joints feeling very hot to the touch, and also some swelling.

by the way, I failed to mention that while I am sweating, it is usually mostly the neck and face, while feeling cold in the extremities. My hands, feet, and nose especially are very cold to the touch. I also have a lot of this start after baths, showers, or eating.

Thankyou all for sharing. I too have suffer with sweats day and night every 2 hrs or so sometimes more frequently. Sometimes at night the sweat can last an hr or more. I have been suffering for about 15 yrs and finished with the menopause 10 years ago. My gp tells me the night sweats are different to the day sweats but can not tell me why or wherefore. I have searched and searched the internet but have not found any answers . I have tried herbs and vitamins potions and lotions and have lost faith in the medical profession as I have had no support from them. I had glandula fever when I was 17 and have suffered with chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia ,ibs etc ever since.I am now 57. Life is tough but although I am sorry that others are stuck with similar symptoms I don’t feel so alone now. Has anyone out there had any glandular tests done. I feel that perhaps there is something awry with my adrenal glands or thyroid though my thyroid tests have come back borderline.
Blessings to all.

First of all I want to thank all of you for sharing…. I have been suffering with day & night sweats for years.. always thinking that is was menopause when they first started back in the 90’s but they never really went away. I have suffered with CFS since 1977 and was dx in 93 when I collapse. 95 was dx also with Fibro and also stopped my menstruating. Right before I collapse the sweats were unbearable and thought it was the changes. never thinking it was the CFS.. throughout out the years it has only gotten worse.. I even tried the night gowns for the hot flashes which really don’t help me .. thought of doing the sheets but who can afford them.. I am at my whits ends.. I can’t keep on going on like this.. bad enough I am back to having all 18 major symptoms going on with the CFS right now… I need help can anyone give me some advise help.. thanks…

I have just read about your symtoms and in regards to the sweating you mentioned.I posted a comment last September [ re sweating ]I had previously studied up my medical books six years ago, I came across Oxybutynin ,I was really looking for some drug that would help my bladder problems but on finding that this drug was an anticholinergic it appeared to me that this maybe helpful, it has been more than helpful to me. I have explained to other Doctors of the help this drug can be for some people with excessive sweating . Ask your G P if this said drug may have some benefits for you. All the best.

Today I got so depressed from the sweating. With spring I feel more like doing something besides sitting at home. I got all ready to go (despite sweating) and finally after I realized my hair was getting wet again I gave up! I am sick of this. I can deal with the pain I have because NO ONE SEES IT! But the sweating is socially paralyzing me!
I’ll update on the botox. It really only gave me partial relief and that didn’t last very long. Maaaaybe 2 months. Way too much $ for that. I was SO excited that I had any relief I know I sounded like it helped a lot but it really wasn’t enough.
So I have noticed patterns. I break out sweating when I eat, get emotional, get ready to go to a social function AND when I drink anything fast. Showering makes me crazy! I have to use cooler water and then make it colder before I get out. Blow drying hair? I use cool setting.
I read about a drug Glycopyrrolate that has been used topically. It is normally used for ulcers I think. But it said it stops bodily secretions and at a low dose topical it has helped for days at a time. Has anyone else heard of this?

OMG! I know what you are talking about.I wish someone would find a cure for this I had stopped wearing makeup and I don’t roll my hair anymore,it doesn’t do any good.My head will be dripping almost pouring sometimes with sweat and it will be 30 degrees I don’t get this. I take a shower and blow dry my hair get dressed then it’s time to start all over because my hair will be dripping in sweat.This has effected my working because how can you cater and sever wedding cake while wiping sweat,GROSS Someone please help.I have fibro and expect some sweating but this is not normal.

I sweat about 10 seconds into any form of exercise. I sweat at night. I sweat for no apparent reason and often get nauseated at the same time. Interestingly, the doc at the Mayo Clinic said that chronic fatigue was “crap” and did not care that I am XMRV+. Mayp also could not explain why my catecholamines are so high that my heart docs thought I had a pheochromocytoma (adrenal cancer). The Mayo docs actually came up with a diagnosis of “autonomic neuropathy” which is not helpful as they could not say why I have this. They also completely ignored that it’s apparently a symptom of CFS. As long as this is the best that mainstream medicine can do we don’t stand much chance of getting relief.

OMG – I’m so glad to read it’s not just me! I had a partial hyserectomy at 31; went through menopause at 40 and have had my estrogen under control now for a long time. I kept thinking I needed more estrogen.

When I was on Cymbalta my sweating was much worse – I quit that horrible medication. I started with LDN (low dose naltrexone) and the sweating got worse but the relief was so much more welcomed.

I kept thinking it must be my thyroid but all the tests were “normal”.

Even though this is part of the CFS/FM dilemna I really wish there was something I could do to fix it; morning, day and night I deal with this.

I find alot of sweating problems, i am overweight but even when i wasn’t i found expending energy to do things lifting cleaning bending over too much would cause sweating.

I have a huge problem with heat at night even in the freezing cold i have to have arms and legs stuck out of my blanket my hair and neck gets soaked.

I figured some of it was connected to my posterior dislocation of my right shoulder and chronic pain, being as showers have been extremely painful and unnerving since i was a teen.

But going for a walk in the coldest time of the year in Australia/New Zealand gets me completely soaked hair, even sitting at a computer desk sometimes i can just start sweating normally armpits.

i have other strange things i don’t think fit, sometimes my knees get ice cold, other times they get really hot, normally in contrast to my body temp, the most extreme when i’ve been awake 10+ hours, i haven’t sought anything about my excessive sweating since its a minor problem in the grand scheme, but it sounds like i should be looking into this more.

Thanks for all the comments about how it effects you all.

I’ve had Fibro/cfs for 30+ yrs but just started the sweating/freezin thing about 3 years ago after I contracted Lyme Disease. Glad you posted this article as I kept thinking that my the sweating and freezing were a result of the Lyme Disease and the doctors had no idea! Sweating was so bad at times that I had to change the bed 4 or 5 times a night & me. Then I would be so cold, I just couldn’t get warm even with my heated mattress pad and 3 blankets & a down comforter! I started having intestinal problems about 4 mos ago & at that time the freezing & sweats seemed to calm down some. Still have an attack now & then but it isn’t constant like before. I do drink a lot of water & it or anything else I drink it has to be very, very ice cold. Doesn’t help sweats a lot but does taste good. Sure helpful to know I’m not alone with this sweating/freezing problem.

I get incredibly hot and break out in a sweat. Any time of day or night with no apparent reason. Since I never found a doctor who took fibro symptoms seriously, I “self-treat” my symptoms, mostly with vitamins and aspirin. I wish there was something that helped. I have a tiny 4″ fan hanging on the headboard, and I turned that thing on during the dead of winter, throwing the covers off to cool down! And now that it’s summer, it’s worse, even with air conditioning, I can’t get the house cool enough for me.

So far as sleeping goes though, I did find that a pillow with a 100% cotton cover and 100% cotton sheets helped quite a bit. Polyester blends are great for no ironing, but the polyester seemed to “conduct” the heat and make things worse. So did the memory foam pillow I was using.

I have been suffering from the same problem and have been taking gabapentin, its really good . I sometimes still feel hot but the sweating has stopped. It is also very good for anyone suffering from hyperhydrosis. Both my sister and my son suffer from hyperhydrosis and are now on gabapentin which helps dramatically. hope this is a help to you. Also dont just try it for a week and then think its no good, it took me about three weeks to feel the benefit, but i have read it can take six weeks to feel the full effects. Hope this is a help to you.

I have taken gabapentin for years 2007 and it has not helped my sweating in the least. I am still looking for a solution. I now have itchy bumps all over my head from sweating as well as my neck and lower. After my shower I have Kleenex on my forehead to catch the sweat and a towel around my neck. Sometimes for hours. Has anyone heard of any new solutions?

I’m taking the Gabapentin as well for the pain and it has helped a LOT (not completely by any means but a lot) but I am still sweating. My worse! part is the legs… I look like I peed myself every time I get out of my chair!! Talk about em-bar-assing!!! (no pun intended on the last part of the hyphening there!!) I am going back to my doc at the end of the month and talk about the Oxybutynin… I do have a laugh/cough/sneeze issue anyway with my bladder so I really wouldn’t mind taking it – my sister is on it for OOB issues, and if it works for the sweats so much the better!!

Now, I have MS Dxed in 1998, and my sweating problems started in 2000 with the pregnancy of my son.
Should I be asking my Dr about possible chronic fatigue as well? Or assume this is another MS thing to add to my list.
My problems sound exactly like the ones I read here. I need to have 3 fans on me, and still feel the sweat under my breasts just from typing idly here!
It’s whole body, and my feet feel freezing all of the time, but socks make the sweating worse, even though me feet finally feel a little better!
No happy medium for me!
My sheets look like they have been bleached from my sweat, etc.
Would shaving my head help? LOL kidding, mostly… lol
Thanks to anyone who has any words of advice for me!!
Laura

I have had fibro, myofacial pain synd and cf since about 2000. I am also post menopausel and I don’t take hrt. I also was diagnosed 2 years ago with Lupus and Sjogrens.

I get the sweating year around mostly my head and neck, however, if I have overdone it and am in a recovery time…say did too much and am down the next two days…I sweat profusely. At night it is horrible, my entire body sweats, even my fingers sweat, pours off me, bed wet, sheets wet etc. when I am in this recovering mode even if I am doing nothing just sitting and relaxing, I sweat. During this time my body aches horribly like I have the flu.

When my body has recovered sufficiently, usually it only takes a couple of days, the full body sweating stops.

So I believe it is my bodys reaction to having overdone it and it trying to repair.

I have read the original post and all the comments here and have saved a lot of them for future reference. I am registered nurse and have had Fibromyalgia and CFS since 1988, diagnosed in 1994 by a rheumatologist at Toronto Hospital. I can’t remeber when the excessive sweating started, but it was back around 1992, 93. I was 38. At first it was diagnosed as perimenopausal, then menopausal (I stopped menstruating at age 46) then postmenopausal. The sweating got worse whnever the FM/CFS got worse. So did what I call “Broken Thermostat Syndrome.” ie feeling hot and cold at the same time, cold feet and legs while pouring sweat from head, face, neck and torso, and hot enough to bake an egg under my breasts as one of you put it. And feeling like a freak for years. When I am really sick I pour sweat just typing and can’t type more than a few lines because my fingers make the keyboard wet, and my glasses get wet and steam up even in winter. But then, when I’m really sick I can’t type more than a few lines because I get so shaky. Shakes and tremors often go with the sweats and the other symptoms also increase. It was a couple of years ago that I decided on my own that the sweating had to be the CFS and Fibro. Reading all your posts has made me feel better. I never knew I was not the only nutbar who got out of a cool shower and turned a fan full-force on my wet, naked body to get dry. My husband has always thought I was a nutbar. I run a fan winter and summer on myself at night even when I have the air conditioner on. It is the only way I can sleep. And I tote bottles of water with me everywhere and always a cloth in my purse to mop my face and neck.
Thank you all of you, for sharing. I feel like I’ve discovered a secret club. Doesn’t help the physical suffering but it does lessen the mental anguish some. And, yes, I keep praying and I’ll keep everyone here in my prayers.

Neurontin (gabapentin) helps with the sweating a great deal. So does glycopyrrolate but that affected my vision too much to be practical.

July 15, 2011

I was Dx with Fibromyalgia after my bout with Breast Cancer, Chemo and Radiation Treatments about 3 years ago.
My whole life I have been cold natured, never breaking a sweat. But a couple of months ago I began to experience excessive sweating! I actually create my own shower!! My husband said he had never seen anyone sweat like I do. It pours down my face from my forehead, my neck and more recently my legs and arms just drip with sweat!

I have to take 2 showers a day! Which is very time consuming and exhausting. When I wear make up it just drips off my face with the waterfall!

As the other lady mentioned, mine also can begin after taking a shower. But it will start if I am simply putting clothes in the wash, washing dishes, or any light activity!

Yes, we do have many bigger problems than sweating, but when a person sweats as much as I do, and other sufferers, it is very disruptive and aggravating!!

I can’t wait till Winter in hopes that this excessive sweating stops or at least slows the flood!!

Beth

I became very ill with fibro in 1995 but was never a sweater. I did hot flashes and hormone patches 5 years ago which stopped the hot flashes. About 2 years ago I had a fibro flair and started the sweating thing. Like severe hot flashes- dreanched at night, having to change clothes several times. Same during the day-sweating all over- stinky esp in groin area. Hot/sweaty then cold/goose bumps and chills. The peculiar thing was my feet would get so cold- I mean painfully cold. Hot water would relieve discomfort the best. Anyone had the cold feet thing? When my fibro flair improves the sweating improves and feet thing goes away. Makes me feel like a nutcase. Of course the doctor has never heard of it. I am so glad to read all of your postings!!

what shall i do?
I suffer from many symptoms, like Sweating, Chest pain, Migraine, Continuous headaches, Dizziness, Imbalance, Heart palpitations, Weight gain, Back pain…….ets.

I am so very Glad to see this posted..Sorry you are going through all this.
My Husband has all the very same symptoms that you said– BUT Dr. after Dr. has NOT been able to cure any of it – or even seem to have a clue- he has had a migraine that has not gone away and some days its so bad he can barely function- for over 3 years now.
I have taken him to gosh a bunch of different Drs. and Emergency Rooms – and its a JOKE-Its a sad situation–They seem to have NO clue, or answers.
They have taken Multiple x-rays of his head- CT scans of his sinuses-and believe it or not– THAT is ALL they have done and said OH well we cannot find anything- The current Dr. he is seeing for about 1 year now- Has run many – many blood and Urine tests and he claims ( I don’t know what to believe at this point)
It very upsetting and frustrating-But the odd thing is-
Both of us have severe all over every crack and crevice sweats non-stop sometimes especially if I have to be out
and temps are over 64degreeF- I sweat as if I had a hose pouring water on me- non-stop some times for HOURS and HOURS NON-Stop!!
The thing that Really pisses me off is I cannot seem to get any Dr. to take it seriously and do something -anything at this point to help Either of us….
I wanted to know if you got help- and what treatments or procedures did you receive and did anything help???

Been reading all the comments, glad to hear I am not alone, the make up sliding off your face etc, would be embarrassed if anyone actually came to the door after I have done some housework as my hair is always stuck to my head with sweating. Naheel you are not alone,I also get chest pains, I get funny looks in the playground sometimes because I am so off balance, I think some of the other parents think I have a drink problem, I am lucky to have some good pals who I can have a laugh with, because sometimes the conversations are mad I get words muddled, back to front, even my kids fill in the missing words for me. I have been put on amitriptyline to help me sleep, but seem to have mood swings has anyone else had that symptom.

Thank You. I thought I was loosing my mind. 3 doctors, multiple lab work ups and still no one mentioned my fibro could be the cause. I have suffered with fibro for years, and just mildly getting under some control. But with age, and thinking menopause was causing this horrible sweat issue, I was ready to quit going outside this summer. I have embarrased myself, husband, and family with this perfuse shower I have in public.. So thanks for sharing. Now I have some research to look into, and more work for my doctors too.

I have fibro and can only do so much before I “crash.” Usually, it may be an hour of going to a store and then I start sweating profusely (face and scalp). So, I’ve learned for me that it is a signal that I’m done and need to rest.

I also get it at night, but didn’t know if that was significant since I’m in menopause.

Hey! Like everyone here I have a sweating problem. I have bad night sweats before my period and when I take a shower even if I stand in it freezing cold, I will be sweating about 5 minutes after getting out. I sweat All OVER. We had a new central AC put in due to the old one breaking and had to get some window units to tide us over. Well, now after my shower I go turn the window unit on and stand there. I swear it works better than a fan. I wish I could have one put on the wall in the bathroom. I take Prozac and other meds and the Dr. said the Prozac can cause it, but I just don’t see that being it. I have been on it half my life and I am 36. I hate this, though. I am glad I am not the only one and I hope we all can get some much needed help and relief.xoxoxo

Hi again! I just looked at CFS and wonder if there is a possibility that could be a cause. I take a lot of meds for depression and anxiety. I do sleep a lot, but thought it was from the meds I take. Back in 2000 my ex gave me Herpes2 and I have to be careful with not getting too stressed or not enough sleep or I will have an outbreak. Having to deal with an outbreak is worse than the sweating. Well, I mean as far as feeling sick. The last 5 yrs I have put on weight, but the Dr. always say it is the meds. I am going to look deeper into this and could write you guys a book, if I told everything involved and the meds I am on. It is ridiculous and embarrassing. Thank you for letting me share. Take care and much love!

I’m so glad I’m not alone on this one! I thought I was going crazy until I was diagnosed just last week with fibromyalgia,I’ve had all the typical symptoms now for four years and the excessive sweating on my scalp and forehead really gets me dwn,I never used to go out the house without my makeup on but for 2 years now as I just smudge n sweat it all off and can’t say when or dnt get any warning that the sweating is going to. Start,it’s really bad during the night and I wake up not only with the pain to put up with but I have to strip my pillow cases off as they are ringing wet through with sweat.my sweating can Is also bad during the day,I just feel an overwhelming feelinheat rising up my head and bang!! I’m dripping wet n this can happen 5/6 times a day I feel dirty n clammy even after a shower,the sweating has got sooo bad I wnt go out not even shopping is anyone else this bothered with it? Thanks for listening everyone!

I also deal with excessive sweating. When I get iut of the shower is when its at its worst. I cannot wear makeup except for eyeliner, eyeshadow and lipstick. I also have a sensitivity to heat an do not own a sweater. I have to dress in layers during the winter because I am frigid to the cold but when I go into a place, they have the heat blaring amd I begin to sweat. The sweat comes on quick and thick, I literally drip sweat and my hair gets wet. I own a lot of lace tops and tank tops and wear summer tops during the cold months underayers of warmer clothes. When in Jamaica, I constantly sweat. I have become fed up with it but the meds I take that cause it, I cannot go without. I hate fibromyalgia. I started taking Wellbutrin to quit smoking and it helped my chronic fatigue.

I’m glad I found this thread but am not sure if it relates to me although I do hope so in some regard at least. I started these sweats more than a year ago. I have MS -dx 20 yrs ago with other health issues) and wouldn’t be surprised if fibro was included although with an MS diagnosis, it’s hard to get “extra’s” diagnosed at times. Anyway, I had a complete hysterectomy many years ago and went thru surgical menopause, sweats, the whole bit. Here I am year’s later dealing with sweating I’ve not known before. Mine were worse when I had “the runs” or attacks of whatever out of nowhere. It got so bad I agreed to a colonoscopy and endoscopy the same day as they were sure it was cancer related (there is some type of tumor that can cause similar symptoms of sweating). My results were ok for the tumor but I continue to sweat to the point that my nose even drips and I have to keep something near me to spit out the excess saliva. It went from just before an intestinal attack to anytime it feels like it. I don’t leave the house without a bag that holds towels for wiping sweat from all over. I’m thankful that my spouse isn’t embarrassed to be next to that woman dripping with sweats at check-out counters as now the sweats happen any day, any time, any hour, for no reason at all. I can’t pin them to a thing and believe me, I’ve tried. I would give anything for a reason for this – at least it may make it more “deal-able” in my everyday life. There are times when the sweating is worse than having MS and believe, I don’t say that lightly. I spent years in a wheelchair and I still use crutches today but at least I can get around. I didn’t realize that excessive sweating to such an extent could cause a life to be so interfered with and so embarrassing to deal with. As much as that show “House” gets on my nerves at times, I would give anything for a doctor who’d find an answer for me….for all of us instead of being sent home with guesses.

I am so glad I found this site. It’s nice to know I’m not alone. This sweating thing has been bothersome for 2 years for me. I will be fine then all of a sudden a turn beet red and sweat in my head and face areas. I also wear summer clothes in the winter and have to dress in layers that I can take off when the sweating starts and put back on in a hurry to protect myself from the cold. I will go from freezing to feeling like I’m in an oven and back to freezing dozens of times a day. My poor husband is freezing in the house because of my heat sensitivity. I tell him he can always put more clothes on, but I can only take so much off, especially when we have company! Thanks for all of your input.

Oh my gosh! Am I ever glad I stumbled on to this page! I’ve been having the same problems for quite awhile now. I’m cold one minute, burning up the next. Sometimes my upper half is hot, and my bottom half is freezing. I sweat all the time. When I do some housecleaning, sweat pours off my face. The waistbands of my pants are always damp. I have night sweats, or I’ll be freezing. I rarely seem to feel I am at a comfortable temperature. Going shopping is a nightmare because I’m usually burning up and sweating profusely within minutes of entering the store. I’m also a teacher, and the sweating is terribly embarrassing. I’m sorry you all have similar problems, but it’s also wonderful to know I’m not alone.

I have this sweating problem too, but am wondering if it is from meds. Have any of you tried stopping your antidepressant and found that this reduces the sweating? I’ve tried going without my other meds one at a time, and am down to one that may be to blame, Nortriptyline. I’m going to wean myself off of this one next and see if that helps. My doctor put me on a med called Clonidine to try to control the sweating, but it doesn’t help and has side effects itself.

Wow, just wow… I just finished hiding in the bathroom and couldn’t stop crying because of this very problem of freezing to death as I sweat… I sweat mostly in my upper body, I can touch my back with the back of my hand and there is that much it drips off my hand….. so freakin uncomfortable!!!!!!!!!! The pain at this time is enhanced and at times my skin is burning!! I feel like I am on fire… it is off an on for me for a matter of days then I could be good for a week or a month. I would seriously do myself in if I had to live with this every day… it is just toooooo much! I am concinved it is hormonal because as you can tell by my attitude I completely turn…. yes even when I am here alone I am frustrated and angry for no apparent reason than my body doing things that I can’t explain nor can doctors!!!! They said it was my medication so I came of it, now they don’t know and I don’t have pain control…. God this sucks , I even made a pack with God that if he takes this away from me I will be the best possbibe person ever!!! Yeah I know, insane…. but this is what it does to me!!! I am desperate and I am not even happy that I am not alone… that doesn’t even help the way I feel…. Now I am even more frustrated that others have to go through this BS too…. I think we need more people to speak more about this,,, I can’t live this way!!!!

I am so amazed to see excessive sweating linked with fibromyalgia. I have been post menopausal for 12 years and was diagnosed with fibromyalgia in 2008. It was REALLY bad at its worst so that I could not get out of bed. But now it is better controlled, although there is no way I could work anymore. I have horrible sweating. It comes for no reason, or because I walk across the floor, or because I sew on a button or because I think of something stressful. It is worst on my face. It runs down into my eyes, burning like crazy. It drips off my ear lobes, runs down my back. Soaks my whole head of hair. Makeup is a joke. Moisterizers are an invitation for my skin to start beading up. When I get undressed, I have to hang up my clothing to dry, especially underthings. My skin often stays cold. Also my body temperature fluctuates wildly. My GP of 36 years has NO IDEA why this is happening and no suggestions for help. I feel much better knowing I am not alone. I have a fibromyalgia doc but haven’t mentioned this symptom to him. I have found that never getting the shower temp very warm helps, but still often have to lie down for up to an hour to cool off from the exertion. Thank God for ceiling fans.

Also, I wanted to mention that I crave salt. People make fun of me because I carry a salt shaker in my purse. My blood pressure is low and my sodium levels are low. I think it is because of the sweating.

i have found some solutions–more like band-aids, but it takes the edge off of always being distracted by the sweating. especially if you’re going out!

for going out: i wedge a small towel ( hand towels that are dish towel size) under my bra, sometimes in the back part as well–need a sports bra for this. also a small towel in the groin area. it took a while to get used to, i admit, not most attractive option–but i found a way to make it fit in my bra and underwear, and can get away with it by wearing very loose fitting clothes.

also important: take extra bra&underwear towels to change once you get to wherever you’re going. also, an extra pair of underwear. if you’re going to be there a while, take 2 sets.

this helps keep you mostly dry, and actually helps keep your face sweating down quite a bit, i find (if i’m not walking or something physical)

for night sweats: a towel on the pillow at night. if i wake up– just turn it around to the dry side,it’s quick and works and keeps you asleep longer.

also,KEEP FACE PROPERLY HYDRATED.
i used to have more sweats in the face then i do now but i figured out that i had to make sure to keep my face hydrated. i know it sounds BACKWARDS–but putting lotion in the daytime is basically impossible for me. so hydrating with the best quality lotion you can (i’ve tried them ALL and for the value and quality–you only need small amounts, i found Origins line is best–it also helps me to relax for bed and makes me feel pampered). i make the face regiment a MUST. took me a while to figure this one out–hope you guys will give it the old college try before dismissing it.

really wish we had a FAMOUS SPOKESPERSON behind our cause so that we would get more funding towards prevention and curing fibromyalgia!!

Hi Judy,

This is in answer to your second post of January 17th. Extreme salt cravings may mean an adrenal problem. If you haven’t already ruled that out, ask your doctor to do blood work that includes an AM and PM Cortisol along with a blood test called an ACTH. Put the salt shaker away for a couple of days before the test. Although ACTH is a cumulative reading over time, the cortisol tests read acurately in real time. AM test should be done before 10 am (earlier is better) and PM after 4pm at the earliest.

Sadly, I have a lot of experience on this one.

Low blood pressure and low blood pressure that falls — do you get dizzy when you stand up quickly?– along with electrolytes being out of whack (low sodium among them) could be sign of adrenal insufficiency and needs to be treated immediately.

I know I am not alone in being a fibro sufferer who has had other symptoms ignored because for so long, fibro was and is still considered an ‘it’s all-in-your-head’ disease. Take care.

Yeah i have fibromyalgia since it all started i have real bad periods of sweating feel like my thermastate has gone wrong yeah go in shower then when getting dressed or blow drying my hair feels like its all getting wet again i can just get up the stairs at night and then im dripping again thought it was the stairs but stayed at my daughters on ground floor just as bad simplest of things start it off even thought perhaps i was going through the change but no i am not i think doctors just get fed up with seeing me all my complaints will say if you lose weight was like it when i was thinner its your diabetis was not like it before this and been diabetic for 26yrs but i am glad to here im not the only one going through this not that i would wish it on my worst enermy

I’m so glad I found this post. I was afraid that the sweats at odd times meant maybe my cancer had returned. I went in 2 Menopause early from Chemo 46 yrs old. Now 64 and I sweat @ odd times and at night. Cold feet and head soak and wet. I do have Fibro and I’m on Cymbalta. I was originally on Cymbalta when my husband was 1st diagnosed with Cancer 4 aniexty but, found out it helped my constant pain from Fibro so I have been on it since 06. This sweat thing has been more in the last 8 months then B4. I will definetly try the cold shower B4 getting out. I hope drinking a tall glass of cold water helps during the day time.

I’m so glad I found this post. I was afraid that the sweats at odd times meant maybe my cancer had returned. I went in 2 Menopause early from Chemo 46 yrs old. Now 64 and I sweat @ odd times and at night. Cold feet and head soak and wet. I do have Fibro and I’m on Cymbalta. I was originally on Cymbalta when my husband was 1st diagnosed with Cancer 4 aniexty but, found out it helped my constant pain from Fibro so I have been on it since 06. This sweat thing has been more in the last 8 months then B4. I will definetly try the cold shower B4 getting out. I hope drinking a tall glass of cold water helps during the day time.

Do you ever bend over and the sweating becomes 10 times worse? I have to put my face and head in front of the fan to cool off some. My doctor thinks I am crazy when I told her about this. Also, do you get as irritated as I do when you get that hot? The kids can always tell when I am irritated…they say, “Oh, mommy is just hot again.”

43 and not sure if going through the menopause. I have night sweats which only happens through my chest. It always gets worse when I have had alcohol over the weekend. I’m not overly large so I don’t really understand why it happens. you wake up, the bed is like ice and more than anything, you dont sleep well, find your always tired, then you eat more, then you feel less energetic, so you relax and have a drink. It’s a visous circle, who said getting older was fun.

Right now I just want to cry, but who needs more wetness. I am so thankful to hear I am not alone although I am sorry to read of others suffering as I do. I am no longer able to work and stay mostly to myself because of the pain and my upper body being soaked. I am blessed to have a supporting and caring husband.

You are definitely not alone. I have all of the crazy sweating symptoms upon even mild exertion. I, too, thought I was going nuts. I could not find evidence online anywhere, until today, of the fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue connection to my severe sweating and runny nose, both of which occur at the same time.

It is embarassing and upsetting, probably leading to even more sweating. I am glad you have an understanding spouse. That helps a lot.

i sweat even when im not doing anything, like just sitting doing nothing especially under my armpits. its really annoying and ive stopped going out as much. i sweat loads usually at mid morning or in the evening rest of the day im ok. ive tried sprays and they just wont work for me. i find it worse if im just nipping to the shop and back i sweat buckets. its really getting me down as i feel so unclean (i shower daily) and my doctor doesnt seem to care much about helping me

never ever used to be like this. but had this problem for about 2 or 3 years now

It’s so embarrassin to admit… But I sweat the most from my anus… I find I Have to bring a change of underwear with me to work and change the sheets nearly daily… No one can find a cause or cure for my “swass! Very annoying

I’ve had this problem for a few years band it’s only getting worse. I cool down before getting out of the shower but as long as my hair is wet I sweat! I sleep with a fan blowing directly on my face but I still sweat. Thought I was losing my mind. Sorry y”all have this too but glad I’m not alone!

Another sleepless night, and now I know why! I needed to find out what was going on with this incessant sweating, it’s been fibro all along. I just wanted to add a little helper I use to get through the sweats. I too have a billion hand fans and little motorized fans that scare the crap out of me (I have long hair). I use cool-dana’s.

http://www.redbow.com/store/st_viewcategory.php?cat=CS

These are just simply cotton scarves with water absorbing crystals in them.

http://watergelcrystals.com/

These crystals, should you want to create scarves more tailored to your taste, can be found in gardening stores and most recently I’ve found them in Dollar Stores (ie cheap!!). When dry the scarves weigh little or nothing, but wet the crystals bulk up quite a bit. You soak them for 10-20 mins in cool water and they will stay hydrated most of the day..if not longer. I’ve never had any bad effect from the crystals, such as dry skin or rashes. I just sling one around my neck and it helps not only with the sweating and heat, but also with headaches caused by the heat or otherwise.

I won’t deny, they aren’t a panacea, but they can truly make a huge difference in your temperature if nothing else. And yes they can be used as bandana’s.

I normally rehydrate the scarf in the morning before I head out, I leave it in a baggie (which they do not recommend) and pull it out when I need it. The scarves are damp to the touch but generally are not dripping with water, I just don’t want damp stuff in my purse. However, do not do this for days on end, you will end up with mildew in your scarf if you leave it in the bag. You can wash the scarves with gel still inside with mild detergent and hang to dry.

I also managed to find a pair of inserts that can go in your bra, however they only had one pair left, easily made by yourself though Think half moon shape.

Hope this helps some of you get through the summer ahead, or the working, or the shopping…and so on..lol

OK I am not a big sweater, but I do get extremely hot for no reason. I will be just sitting at my chair at my computer, I am typing away and even sitting under the air conditioner vent in the ceiling which is pointing directly at me, and I feel like I’m on fire from the inside out. I literally will completely undress down to my panties and turn on a fan pointed directly at me and sit here and type like that (I am an at home medical transcriptionist, no one here but me so I’m not scaring anyone! HAHA). Anyway, I will leave the fan on and my skin will be freezing cold from the fan and the AC blowing on me but I’m still completely burning up from the inside out. This usually happens around the time I normally would be ovulating I notice. But I have read about it and ovulation should not cause that. I do sweat but it’s more a sticky mist all over not dripping sweat. I’ve never been a dripping type sweater. But the sweat does get my clothes wet especially my back, neck, underarms, and in between my legs. Anyway, it will take sometimes up to an hour of me freezing my skin in order for me to feel like I have actually gained the coolness inside my body and can turn off the fan. Then eventually I will get cold and have to put on some dry clothes, usually a long sleeve and sweats because I’m actually cold. This is so annoying!!!! I have never been diagnosed with fibromyalgia but I wonder if I need to bring this up to my doc and see what he thinks. I am chronically anemic and have just received my 1st dose of IV iron today. The IV iron infusion made me feel the same way, insanely hot but my skin was freezing cold. From what I read, this is one of the things that can happen with the particular iron medication I was infused with. So, anyway.. just adding my story! Glad I found this group.

I sweat crazily at anytime especially at night. Then instantly.I’m freezing. This has been going on for about three years. I’m often told its HOT FLASHES, well my comment to that…B/S. I’ve heard of menopausal hotflashes, but why does my heart beat more rapidly during the episodes? I’ve tried OTC relief…didn’t work. I have yet to try anything else, ,.Keeping in mind that I am 45yrs, maybe it is menopause. Who knows, definitely not my doc.

I have had sweating from my scalp and face for about rwo years..It gets worse if I take savella so I dont take it for my fibro..any odd change in my self@hot shower..excitement..going shopping..for no reason I start to sweat from my head..If I press my hand to my head my hard instantly becomes wet..almost impossible to do anything..Is this fibro causing this..I have recently been diagnosed with scleroderma…also..I am 59 and already been through a hysterectomy..just dont know what to do..

Fellow sufferers — thank you for your comments. Here are some things I have noticed that may help as well:

I noticed my body temperature actually goes up when I am having these extreme heat episodes by 1 – 3 degrees. As soon as it passes, my body is back to 98.6. So I use soft gel ice packs wrapped in a towel and put it behind my neck while sitting back in chair. If moving around house, those tubes with crystals mentioned above work, but so does a small dishtowel or wash cloth rolled lengthwise and wet with cold water. When it heats up, re-fold and put the cooler side back against your skin. You can also re-wet in very cold water if needed. I also keep a remote control fan positioned near me as much as I can. Oh, and as for bras and panties for women, try barely breezies on QVC. They line their product with a special fabric that wicks moisture away from the skin and actually keeps you fairly dry. It definitely gets rid of the constant dripping down your chest.

This is about to drive me crazy. I’ve had periodic hot flashes in the last few years which all the doctors said were menopausal. I argued that a total hysterectomy 17 years ago, I had already gone through this but NOOOO…they were all in agreement. I was diagnosed with fibro 2 years ago and CFS two weeks ago. My sweating is so bad I can’t more than two hours of sleep at a time. I’m so exhausted, I can’t function. I have these episodes between 15-20 times per day. The ones I have at night can last up to an hour and they just drench me. Last week I went to the Mayo clinic. They said the sweating was anxiety related. How can I have anxiety when I’m sound asleep? I’m so flustered. Of all the symptoms of this illness, this is the most debilitating in my book. I have a great job which I think I’m going to have to quit because I can’t STOP sweating and without a good night’s sleep, I’m just exhausted all the time. Someone needs to find the answer to this. I’m losing my mind.

OMG I am so happy to know there are others with this problem – sorry they have it, but glad I am not losing my mind. I notice that it is worse in warm weather – not as much of a problem in winter months – worse after drinking ice cold beverage – going between different temperatures such as from outside to an air conditioned environment or the reverse – after even slight activity. Begins around head/face and it just starts dripping then neck then I am freezing, especially when in an air conditioned environment. I am “of that age” so I thought maybe it was related to mp but it just didn’t fit with the descriptions of hot flashes and I have never heard of them being triggered as noted above. I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia in 1993, but this has been a problem since I moved from the northwest to Houston. I too have seen little about this in fibromyalgia info. Anyone have any luck reducing this problem?

I forgot – this has been about 2-3 years. I too have to carry around a sweat towel or paper towels to soak up the sweat on my face where it is the worst. I too have the issue with being freezing once I start sweating, especially in an air conditioned environment. It is very embarrasing to be having a meeting and have to try and be nonchalant while wiping the sweat or worse yet, try and pretend it really isn’t happening and hoping I can get away to deal with it. If I forget my sweat towel it is terrible. I can be shopping in Walmart and have to stop and get/buy a pack of paper towels to deal with problem even before I can get through with my shopping. It is like my body cannot regulate its temperature correctly. I do not get the night sweats described, just the sweating face/neck primarily, although it can happen at night as well. Just getting up to get something to drink or go to the bathroom can trigger it. I will keep reading posts to see what help is available. Thanks!

I’ve read most of these comments and I’m going to add my story. I am 65 yrs old and about 2 yrs ago went through a great deal of anxiety and depression. The weight melted off of me. I started feeling extremly hot despite being on estrogen. I felt like I was being burned at the stake. My mid-drift part of my body and breasts were so hot you could fry eggs on me. The Doctors did not know what was wrong despite all kinds of tests. They tried me on steroids which worked the first time but then the heat came right back. It has been two years now and I am still hot but not as bad as I was. I am extremely uncomfortable but able to tolerate the anxiety it brings with it better. I would so like to know what this is but my Doctors are baffled. I have Sjogren’s Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, hypothyroid, and RA. THe Doctors think I am in inflamation but I have too much wrong with me to pin it down. I take a lot of vitamins and walk every night no matter how hot it is outside. I use Neutrogena cool mist shots and that helps. I also lay with ice packs on my body. It works short term.

I, as others have said was glad I found this post. I have had fibro for 9 years and i am 54 in Memphis. It was the first thing that can up on google. I think mine is caused by all of the reasons given.

I too have it head sweats when I am cool or cold. I have had fibro since 2003 and I am 54 yrs. old. Glad I find I am not alone.

Oops I posted twice