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Always Sweating, Difficulty Sleeping. What To Do?
Question: Hello I am a 28 years old and I sweat all the time I can be driving down the road with the air on and still be pouring sweat it will be running down my arm it is so bad that when I go to church I have to take a change of clothes because I'm soaked it doesn't matter if I'm wearing long sleeves or short the results are the same I wear an under shirt to try and help soak some of it up but it doesn't work and if I'm wearing long sleeves it will be soaked all the way down my arms and from my pits half way to my waist also I don't sleep good at night cause I'm waking up with my pillow and sheets being soaked with sweat and I have to box fans on high blowing directly on me to try and keep me cool I have tried every deoderant that you can get over the counter what should I do
Dear patient,
Thanks for your concerns. The first thing that needs to be ruled out are secondary causes of excessive sweating, such as hyperthyroidism, diabetes. chronic neurologic conditions, chronic infections like tuberculosis or hematologic problems including lymphoma. After these and perhaps others are ruled out by further history, physical examination and basic investigations, then we may have a diagnosis of exclusion called primary hyperhydrosis, a condition in which sweat glands overact in the absence of a heat stimulus. It has been associated with an excessive function of the small nerves that guide the function of the glands. If this is the condition, there are several medications that can be tried as a first line agent for such patients, such as oxibutinin, benztropine and glycopirrolate. Some patients do respond. In others, especially those devastated by excessive generalized sweating and social lifestyle interference, some surgical procedures can be considered, the most common and effect an thoracic ganglion sympathectomy.
Hope that helps as a guideline, I would probably see a neurologist as a first start.
Yours truly,
Dr Brenes-Salazar MD
Mayo Clinic MN
Thanks for your concerns. The first thing that needs to be ruled out are secondary causes of excessive sweating, such as hyperthyroidism, diabetes. chronic neurologic conditions, chronic infections like tuberculosis or hematologic problems including lymphoma. After these and perhaps others are ruled out by further history, physical examination and basic investigations, then we may have a diagnosis of exclusion called primary hyperhydrosis, a condition in which sweat glands overact in the absence of a heat stimulus. It has been associated with an excessive function of the small nerves that guide the function of the glands. If this is the condition, there are several medications that can be tried as a first line agent for such patients, such as oxibutinin, benztropine and glycopirrolate. Some patients do respond. In others, especially those devastated by excessive generalized sweating and social lifestyle interference, some surgical procedures can be considered, the most common and effect an thoracic ganglion sympathectomy.
Hope that helps as a guideline, I would probably see a neurologist as a first start.
Yours truly,
Dr Brenes-Salazar MD
Mayo Clinic MN
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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