Do any others of you have trouble with excessive sweating? I have had so much trouble with it for the past few years that it's really frustrating! I can't do the simplest of things without breaking out in a hard sweat. Just standing at the sink doing dishes will bring it out and by the time I'm done I'm adding to the water as it's running down my face like a torrent. I can't remember the last time I actually made it to church on Sunday with dry hair. I take my shower and dry my hair and by the time I have gotten dressed and added makeup my hair is dripping wet again. Doesn't matter what the temperature is either as I don't feel hot when it's happening like hot flashes, been there done that years ago. I've had my hormones checked so we know it's not hormonal in nature. I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia over 20 years ago but hadn't had trouble with the sweating til the last few years. My Rheumo is leaning now to Lupus but won't find out for another 2 weeks but everything is pointing in that direction including the butterfly rash on my face. I know it's said that many with Fibro develop Lupus but I think it was Lupus all along. We'll see.
Prednisone will can cause the sweating, but it can be the lupus. I get hot and cold all the time, I drive my husband crazy kicking the covers off, then I get freezing.
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Hello Karen,
I don't suffer with excessive sweating...i have hot sweats where i burn up but no what your losing and other members will answer in due course.
The sweating your having is called (hyperhidrosis) and the info i'm adding on it will help other members having it who are'nt sure also.
((Hugs Terri)) xxx
(Symptoms of hyperhidrosis)
Profuse, ongoing, abnormal sweating (doctors call it hyperhidrosis)— more than the body needs to keep cool—can occur under two circumstances. In the first, called “primary hyperhidrosis,” the sweat glands are overstimulated by specific areas in the brain for no apparent reason. In other words, the sympathetic nervous system (part of the autonomic system) goes wacky. The other category is “secondary hyperhydrosis,” in which another well-defined disorder is responsible. The most common causes are:
• an overactive thyroid. (That’s the first thing to have checked.)
• any infection, especially one accompanied by fever.
• a malignancy, of which you may or may not be aware.
• obesity. Overweight people tend to sweat too much.
• menopause. The decline in estrogen production often results in hot flashes accompanied by sweating.
• diabetes. When not well controlled, sugar levels that are too high or too low can result in abnormal perspiration.
• abnormalities of the immune system. Some diseases, such as lupus, can cause excessive perspiration.Treatment of hyperhidrosis depends on the cause. Obviously, the first step is to determine whether you have any of the secondary causes and then treat them.
In primary hyperhidrosis, for which there’s no apparent cause, treatment is directed at controlling the sweating. This can be done by medications, antiperspirants (prescription-strength, if necessary), Botox injections, iontophoresis and, when all else fails, an operation on the nerves of the sympathetic nervous system. The most common oral medications are:
• tranquilizers.
• anticholinergic drugs, of which there are many, belong to the atropine family and act on the nervous system to reduce symptoms. However, this medication is not free of side effects, especially in elderly people.
• NSAIDS (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), such as ibuprofen, often curb excessive sweating.
• calcium channel blockers (such as verapamil), normally used to control blood pressure.
• a drug called catapres (clonidine), also used to lower blood pressure.One popular option is injections of botulinum toxin (Botox) directly into the sweat glands every few months, which can reduce gland activity. Botox and most other treatments are temporary, so those seeking a permanent solution may opt to have the sweat glands removed surgically.
Iontophoresis delivers a low electrical current to the areas that perspire most to disrupt sweat production. It is usually done while the skin is submerged in water. (Pregnant women or anyone with a pacemaker should not use this therapy.)
Sympathectomy, cutting the nerves that transmit the messages to the glands that trigger sweat, should be considered only as a last resort.
Thanks for replying Trisha,
Well, I don't take any form of steroid like Prednisone and I actually don't feel hot with it, just wet. LOL Mostly too on my head. Standing and doing something with arms seems to bring it one faster like when I'm drying my hair, brushing my teeth, or washing dishing and ironing. I can walk on a treadmill and not break out in a sweat like I do just standing, really weird.
Trisha said:
Prednisone will can cause the sweating, but it can be the lupus. I get hot and cold all the time, I drive my husband crazy kicking the covers off, then I get freezing.
Angelwing, I sweat like you do all the time with any exertion. I have for years so I know it isn't my weight as I did it when I was thin too. I didn't know it was lupus. I do get hot though with it not just the perspiring. My hair is always wet it seems. I now have a small fan in our bathroom so I can get make up on and get my hair done. I know that prednisone is not the cause for me. Best of luck to you.
I sweat l ike that as well. My Rheumo is pretty sure it's Lupus, I too have had my hormones checked and they're normal as well. I see my Rheumo Friday to start a treatment plan...........pretty sure it'll be for Lupus. Good luck to you.
angelwing,
Not sure how old you are but I was having terrible sweating...so embarrassing and I kept blaming it on my lupus. I finally told my gynecologist my problem and she put me on med called Pempro.
I can't tell you how much it helped me. I couldn't even go to lunch with someone without breaking into such a sweat that I would turn red and people thought I was having a stroke. Wish I would have told my doctor years ago about it but now I have a hot flash one or two times a week.
Hope you feel better.
Take care,
Prempro is estrogen so be sure you check the side effects of taking hormones.
I'm 62 and had a hysterectomy almost 30 years so have already gone through the change. I know only too well how hot flashes are and mine aren't like that. I don't even feel hot when I sweat most of the time.
auntpearl said:
angelwing,
Not sure how old you are but I was having terrible sweating...so embarrassing and I kept blaming it on my lupus. I finally told my gynecologist my problem and she put me on med called Pempro.
I can't tell you how much it helped me. I couldn't even go to lunch with someone without breaking into such a sweat that I would turn red and people thought I was having a stroke. Wish I would have told my doctor years ago about it but now I have a hot flash one or two times a week.
Hope you feel better.
Take care,
Nice to meet you reet! I will find out on the 13th if mine is Lupus or not but so far it all points to it even though my regular doctor thinks I'm too old for it to be Lupus. I told him that it's possible I've had it all along instead of the Fibromyalgia but he's not sure about that. We'll see though. I keep a rash on my face all the time now and had a positive ANA and MGUS blood test that can mean Lupus as well.
reet said:
Angelwing, I sweat like you do all the time with any exertion. I have for years so I know it isn't my weight as I did it when I was thin too. I didn't know it was lupus. I do get hot though with it not just the perspiring. My hair is always wet it seems. I now have a small fan in our bathroom so I can get make up on and get my hair done. I know that prednisone is not the cause for me. Best of luck to you.
Well that is why I said for you to see your doctor. However, I did see my rheumatologist so many times with the same problem of perspiring so badly and my hair was wet. Like I said I would just be sitting and at lunch and it would start. I was not hot either. It was from my neck up. I just wanted to share my experience with you and I would never want you to take any kind of medicine that was not prescribed by your doctor.
angelwing said:
I'm 62 and had a hysterectomy almost 30 years so have already gone through the change. I know only too well how hot flashes are and mine aren't like that. I don't even feel hot when I sweat most of the time.
auntpearl said:angelwing,
Not sure how old you are but I was having terrible sweating...so embarrassing and I kept blaming it on my lupus. I finally told my gynecologist my problem and she put me on med called Pempro.
I can't tell you how much it helped me. I couldn't even go to lunch with someone without breaking into such a sweat that I would turn red and people thought I was having a stroke. Wish I would have told my doctor years ago about it but now I have a hot flash one or two times a week.
Hope you feel better.
Take care,
Thanks auntpearl, I understand that completely. I think it's either the Lupus or maybe one of the meds I'm on for Fibromyalgia. I am going back to see my Rheumy on the 13th and will definitely bring it up to her. I appreciate you responding! :o) May God Bless, Karen
Sounds like me, Karen. I have been diagnosed and "undiagnosed" for over 20 years and I am 65 now and finally more then one doctor concurred that they agree with all the positive tests that were done again a few years ago. So I was older when I got re-diagnosed too. It isn't much fun to be in the situation of their power plays. It took me getting very, very sick for a doctor to believe me.
Nice to meet you reet! I will find out on the 13th if mine is Lupus or not but so far it all points to it even though my regular doctor thinks I'm too old for it to be Lupus. I told him that it's possible I've had it all along instead of the Fibromyalgia but he's not sure about that. We'll see though. I keep a rash on my face all the time now and had a positive ANA and MGUS blood test that can mean Lupus as well.
reet said:Angelwing, I sweat like you do all the time with any exertion. I have for years so I know it isn't my weight as I did it when I was thin too. I didn't know it was lupus. I do get hot though with it not just the perspiring. My hair is always wet it seems. I now have a small fan in our bathroom so I can get make up on and get my hair done. I know that prednisone is not the cause for me. Best of luck to you.
Angelwing
Have you had your thyroid checked? Many of us with lupus suffer from thyroid disease and it can be a result of body temperature changes! As blood sugar problems can cause you to sweat like that as well!
Just a suggestion! I hope this helps!
Deenie
Hi Dewing, I have had it checked and it was slightly low but the doctor didn't think it was anything. It does sound like from what I've read that that happens a lot with people with Lupus. It's hard to convince your doctor that there might be a problem when it doesn't show up in the blood tests. I am supposed to have it checked every year anyway as I had x-ray treatments on my thymus gland when I was little and research has discovered that people who have had that in the past have a higher chance for Thyroid cancer. Since there seems to be a correlation between the Thyroid and Thymus glands with Lupus, it is something I am going to tell my Rheumatologist in a couple of weeks when I see her again. Didn't think of it when I had my first visit with her.
A friend of mine just told me that her thyroid test came out okay too but it was on the very low side of normal. Since she had been complaining of fatigue and other issues (she has fibro) the doctor decided to try her on a lose dose of synthroid and voila, she is much better. Not everyone is okay at very low normal and thankfully this doctor listens to her and treats her as an individual instead of just test results.
Angelwing,
YES! I could have written your letter myself! Not only is my sweating embarrassing, but debilitating. Taking shower, brushing teeth, drying hair, etc has become an ordeal that I have come to dread. I dry myself with 3-4 towels and still can’t make it stop. It also happens with the most minor exertion, and soaks my clothes.
Mine is probably secondary to a number of things 1) hypothyroid/Hashimoto’s: my thyroid is nothing but scar tissue, so I am on permanent thyroid replacement; 2) menopause: I had a hysterectomy 2 yrs ago, but I was having the problem even before that, just not as bad; 3) mixed connective tissue disease/ Lupus: just diagnosed 3/2013. Despite knowing what causes it, I haven’t been given any answers about how to stop it. I can’t take hormones because I have had 3 pulmonary embolisms caused by antiphospholipid syndrome and I am on coumadin for life.
When it happens, my skin feels cool, my face hot, and sweat pores from every sweat gland in my entire body. I also feel very uncomfortable/ sickish and out of breath and have to sit and rest 15-30 min under a fan to get it under control. When I get up to leave or continue what I was doing, I immediately start sweating all over again.
My rheumy knows about it and says it is the prednisone, but this started long before I was put on it. I am trying to accept that this is just another part of my new life, but I certainly understand the embarrassment, exhaustion and concern it creates. I am hoping there is an answer for us, but in the meantime, I take towels wherever I go now : /
I sweat all of the time. I also feel like internal core runs at about 200 degrees. I don’t have any answers as to why, but at least you’re not alone.
Thanks Jenni. It's always nice to talk to others who really understand what you are going through. It's really odd with me as I almost always have a below than normal temperature. It is usually about 97, the only time it gets above 98.2 is when I'm sick. It's the closest I usually come to a fever, no matter what the problem. I was in the hospital twice with pneumonia and never run a "fever". I had intestinal blockages once with infection and again no high temperatures. Don't know if this is something common with Lupus or Fibromyalgia or if it's just me. :)
Thanks sunflower. I feel like we are twins body wise. LOL I have to everything in small spurts so I don't go in a melt down with the sweating. I hate the idea of going through all that with showers too, especially washing my hair which is sometimes so futile. I'm sweating as fast as the blower can get it dry so I do it partially and then go put my feet up and rest under a fan to get the it under control before I can put on my makeup or else it just slides right off. It takes so long to get dressed and out the door sometimes that I feel it's not even worth the effort. If I have to go someplace, I will start at least 2 hours before hand getting ready. Makes for some really early mornings. I'm reading next week as I have a doctor's appointment in Birmingham at 9am and it takes me a little over 2 hours to get there! I'm getting ready for TMJ surgery that will be done on the 20th there. Not looking forward to that at all as I will have to have my mouth wired shut for 2 weeks then have the bands on my teeth for another 8 weeks! No fun at all! Hopefully it will be all worth it if it gets rid of this awfully popping and pain in my jaw. My body really hates cartilage and gets rid of it in most of my joints. So far I've had 3 knee surgeries, a big toe fusion, 3 cervical discectomies where they had to fuse the joints and I have lots of trouble with carpal tunnel in both wrists. My mornings are sooo much fun. :( Oh well, I've lived with this for the last 21 years and will continue to.
Sunflower said:
Angelwing,
YES! I could have written your letter myself! Not only is my sweating embarrassing, but debilitating. Taking shower, brushing teeth, drying hair, etc has become an ordeal that I have come to dread. I dry myself with 3-4 towels and still can't make it stop. It also happens with the most minor exertion, and soaks my clothes.
Mine is probably secondary to a number of things 1) hypothyroid/Hashimoto's: my thyroid is nothing but scar tissue, so I am on permanent thyroid replacement; 2) menopause: I had a hysterectomy 2 yrs ago, but I was having the problem even before that, just not as bad; 3) mixed connective tissue disease/ Lupus: just diagnosed 3/2013. Despite knowing what causes it, I haven't been given any answers about how to stop it. I can't take hormones because I have had 3 pulmonary embolisms caused by antiphospholipid syndrome and I am on coumadin for life.
When it happens, my skin feels cool, my face hot, and sweat pores from every sweat gland in my entire body. I also feel very uncomfortable/ sickish and out of breath and have to sit and rest 15-30 min under a fan to get it under control. When I get up to leave or continue what I was doing, I immediately start sweating all over again.
My rheumy knows about it and says it is the prednisone, but this started long before I was put on it. I am trying to accept that this is just another part of my new life, but I certainly understand the embarrassment, exhaustion and concern it creates. I am hoping there is an answer for us, but in the meantime, I take towels wherever I go now : /