Middle Of The Night Sweats - New Symptom?

[iheartcats]

I've woken up a few times recently in the middle of the night sweaty - like a build up on chest and a bit on the face etc., and this isn't a normal for me.

I don't think it is anything to do with menopause (I'm early to middling 30s) and I don't notice a racing heart or anything that would be totally POTSY. It's yucky and uncomfortable, but I cannot pinpoint what it could be. I've not changed medication, eating habits, etc. I am dealing with a few stressful situations that are beyond my normal stresses right now, but I've been stressed before and not had this.

Anyone ever experience something like this?

[Simmy]

That started happening to me too over the last couple of months and I'm also fairly certain it's not due to menopause, but I'll have to ask my wife to be sure.

I've been suspecting it's from a combination of some of the meds I've been taking for a long time (the last three meds on my signature were just added on Monday) specifically Midodrine and Mestinon, which I've noticed do loopy things to my temperature control, including the sweats and chills. I noticed you take those two also. Just a thought.

[Elfie]

I get these and for me they are totally POTS-related as far as my doctors and I are concerned. The autonomic nervous system controls temp regulation and I can get these spells out of nowhere, but especially at night.

[issie]

That started happening to me too over the last couple of months and I'm also fairly certain it's not due to menopause, but I'll have to ask my wife to be sure.

I've been suspecting it's from a combination of some of the meds I've been taking for a long time (the last three meds on my signature were just added on Monday) specifically Midodrine and Mestinon, which I've noticed do loopy things to my temperature control, including the sweats and chills. I noticed you take those two also. Just a thought.

Simmy,

It could be menopause, men have it too. My dad has horrible sweats, due to treatment for cancer. It would be interesting to see if your levels are off. Since so many of us women have problems with hormones, it could be part of the problem. (There is a very good blood test that Life Extension provides, that test all kinds of things for very reasonable. Then, if you're a member, they will analyze your test and make suggestions of what type of natural supplementation to try to correct the imbalances. ) I think my dad has POTS too, but he's too old to go through the testing. He's had hormone issues since he was in his 40's, and has so many symptoms like mine. I had endometrosis. It's a wonder.

But, then again, it could just be your meds.

[KristinL]

I have night sweats all the time....actually I can sweat all day long. I know my body can not temperature regulate at all since the POTS but for me it's just down right embarrassing! The doc tried some medication to stop the sweating but did not work so I guess I live with the sweats and the multiple clothes changes and showers daily (sigh)

[janiedelite]

I get this problem when I'm in a bad POTS flare. The wierd thing is that I won't sweat in the normal places (underarms, forehead, etc) but in places I don't normally sweat much like the front of my thights or my chest. It happens at night for me as well. I notice that as soon as the worst of my flare is over that this symptom also dies down. Like you, I'm in my mid-30's.

[Simmy]

Hi Dianne. Welcome. Just click on "ADD REPLY" all the way on the bottom.

Oh I agree Elfie. When I first acquired POTS two years ago (it was on sale) the sweats started something fierce, sometimes out of the blue while lying down and always when standing or sitting or exerting myself. But a few months after I started taking Mestinon (which was two months after starting Midodrine) the 'out of the blue' night sweats became more frequent and severe.

Those of us who have taken Midodrine are familiar with the chills, shakes, and shortly thereafter sweats that it causes. Those of us also on Mestinon (me) have discovered that it takes the side effects of Midodrine and enhances them (Cat_Lady?) We're told that the effects of those meds only last up to about four hours and, while that may be true and we do not take them before bedtime, something somewhere in my brain is advising me to suspect the lingering effects of those meds to be causing (or at least exaggerating) the night sweats. Or it could simply be that my POTS is getting worse and I need cooler temperatures.

Or, issie, I could be going through... mAnopause? Seriously? I've never heard of that. But then again all of our bodies, male and female, are just a bunch of chemicals interacting with one another so it would be silly to assume that only women go through changes like menopause with aging. Thanks. I'll look into that.

Kristen - That is my wife, from menopause. In a way we're more in sync because now we both prefer the air conditioner set at 68F. What used to be Brrr is now Ahhh.

[Christy_D]

My son used to have that, at any time of the day or night. That is one symptom that stopped upon starting Doxepin. He no longer complains of being hot, when everyone else is just fine. He used to strip down to shorts and stand outside in the middle of winter.

[TXPOTS]

I get these sweats occasionally as well. They started before I was on medications for POTS and have persisted. They always occur in the middle of the night, and the sweating is primarily on my chest. Luckily, they happen about once a month or once every other month. I am not in menopause. Yet another disturbing symptom...

[iheartcats]

I somehow feel much better about my weird middle of the night sweaty chest now, so thank you everyone.

POTS. The weird things it can do.

Simmy - I am on Midodrine and Mestinon and they seem to be helping so I guess I have to deal if they make me sweat more.

I have been 'flaring' due to some yucky stress that isn't calming down yet, so I must've kicked myself out of balance even more!

It seems like these sweats are common enough amongst POTS folk, though. I just thought I'd not have to deal with stuff like this until Menopause. Wishful thinking!

[issie]

Simmy,

You could be one of those (Lucky?????) 2% of men that get the "MaNopause". Let us know if there is a connection w/the sweats and hormones!!!!

[tinkerbella]

The night sweats were terrible for me for years till I got on topamax for migraines. The migraines didn't go away completely but it made the dreanching night sweats finally stop. My pots/neuro said i have a dis-regulation of body temp, then throw in perimemopause and she said I had a double whammy going on.

bellamia

[heathmcev]

I'm 35 and my night sweats started maybe 3 years ago. It's definitely not menopause or med-related (everything i'm on has changed but sweats remain). I usually sweat around my thighs, chest & back of the neck. Definitely unpleasant! My POTS specialist just shrugs & tells me it's part & parcel of the whole thing & our wacky temperature control.

[issie]

My sister just commented to me that she has been taking an Advil every night and forgot it last night. Her night sweats were back with a vengence. She feels the Advil helps with the sweats. Intersting to see if it would help others too.

[tinkerbella]

At one point I was soaking wet at night and then freezing cold. i was having low grade feavers also. it was then i was sent to an infectious disease doctor. he thought my spleen was enlarged and later saw it was just in the wrong position. after all his testing I got the official chronic fatigue syndrome dx. if my temps go over 100 degrees for any legnth of time I need to have another work up done.

I believe it was just another layer of all our dx's you all know: fibro, CFS, Mono, EB, IBS, Eye Problems, Lupus/sicca syndrome, blood clotting problems, joint pains, dehydration, problems with anestheia, just to name a few.... I know I feel like a huge layer cake with a buch of potsies laying on top with their laptops.

xxx's

bellamia~*

[potsgirl]

Question: Have any of you had perimenopause symptoms even though you're on the pill? I seem to once again be an anomaly, but know that it happens to others, too. In some women being on synthetic hormones can make the symptoms worse...anyone else hear about that?

[tinkerbella]

Question: Have any of you had perimenopause symptoms even though you're on the pill? I seem to once again be an anomaly, but know that it happens to others, too. In some women being on synthetic hormones can make the symptoms worse...anyone else hear about that?

well funny you should ask...I was on the pill for many years and when I went for a month off the pill for the hormone test they said I was in menopause. So I had to have been. I was terrible on the pill, but thought I had asthma all those years and left sided weakness of the body... No one made the connection till years later when I got the flu for 10 days and in the hospital for 6 days. It was there they noticed my high BP also and had to access veins. From there I went down hill fast. I was always sick my whole life even as a child. Everything hit me harder than anyone else in the family. My doc wanted to just blame it on menopause till I finally got the the cardio and plummy who figured everything out. Thank GOD!

[issie]

I think our bodies have a time clock and when it is time for you to go into menopause, you will. Just my theory.

As for synthetic hormones, most of them are just one kind of estrogen. There are three kinds. If you only take estradiol (which is the kind most pills are) you can have all kinds of adverse reactions. Estron is another one that is considered not so good. (It is an estrogen that is stored in the fat.) But Estriol is considered to be a good estrogen and has been proven to prevent breast cancer. In Europe most women use this estrogen alone for menopause symptoms. When I finally, just went to the one estrogen, I felt so much better. I don't get the issues that I had when on the synthetic estrogen's. You can only get this from a compounding pharmacy. It is used transdermally and is bioidentical. If you have your uterus still, you also need progestrone. Not progestin (this is a synthetic form and has horrible side effects.) The best book I've read on how to use these hormones is by Dr. Johnathan Wright. He has recently written a new book too. (I haven't seen that one.) Also another good book is "What your doctor may not have told you about Perimenopause". That one is really explains to you about the hormones and how they work.

[issie]

If you want to PM me, I'll tell you more.

[rach73]

Hi,

haven't been around for a while so I have just seen this post.

Ive been having night sweats for around 4/5 years Im 36. Hormone levels checked out fine. I dont really sweat during the day but at night I can drench the sheets. It only happens if I am asleep - even if its just a nap in the afternoon. I wake up and my nightshirt will be sticking to me, hair will be soaked, bed clothes damp. Ive checked my temperature and no fever, its around 36.3. I do know though night sweats mean Im going to have a bad day following them with lower BP etc.

My sister saw an endo recently as she has the same problems and he said its an autonomic issue and something to do with REM sleep.

I have the sweats at night and cold during the day! Its all good fun.

Rach

[handmadebyemy]

im 25 and have night sweats all the time - maybe its related to my hypothyroidism? drs couldn't attribute it to anything else

[dianne.fraser]

Hi. I had night sweats for around 20 years from my mid-twenties - definitely not menopause. When I didn't get a night sweat I would often wake at night burning hot, even in the middle of winter in an unheated bedroom. My sweats were stopped with a small dose of Ibuprofen at bedtime. Stopping the night sweats mean't I got a much better sleep and my overall illness was more under control. My night sweats stopped almost two years ago, so I don't take the Ibuprofen now. I'm not sure whether this would help anyone else.