Sweat

[potsyturvy]

I know a lot of us have problems with sweating too much or too little. I used to hardly ever sweat. About a year ago I had ingrown toenails removed and my dr used epinephrine which made my POTS flare up horrible, caused bad panic attacks, and made me bedridden for a few months. Ever since then, my underarms, hands, and feet sweat really bad. Today, for instance, I talked on the phone for less than 5 minutes and when I hung up, my hand was drenched in sweat. I showed my family and they thought I had spilled something on my hand because it was soaking wet. I had a QSweat test done a few months ago, which turned up normal, but it only tested my arms and legs, not my hands, feet or underarms. I can't wear t-shirts anymore because I get huge sweat stains on them regardless of what temperature it is outside. My hands can be ice cold, but drenched in sweat. Sorry to get off on a little bit of a rant there about this.. It really isn't a big deal for me, it's more just gross than anything. Does anyone know what causes this or what I can do about it?

[puppylove]

I'm not sure why but the only time I have sweat like that was during my TTT. But it was excessive just like you describe. Have you checked your heart rate and blood pressure when it happens? My blood pressure and heart rate were sky high then so I guess that could be why...

[ramakentesh]

Potsturvy you should email some doctors with that fact (that epinephrine caused a severe relapse and made you relapse) - beta 1 supersensitivity or beta 2 under responsiveness?

[Katybug]

I sweat excessively, too....no matter what temp, or whether I feel hot or cold...I sweat. Ewww! The only saving grace (if there is one) is that it's not stinky sweat. I have asked my POTS neuro about it, and, he says he hears it from his patients all the time but no one has researched it yet, mostly because it is not considered dangerous and they are concentrating the research on those that don't sweat since that can be life threatening.

[kayjay]

I do both - no sweating and too much. A tip for the cosmetic end of it... they make anti-persperants (not sure about my spelling) that you can apply at night that blocks the glands in your underarms. This does nothing at all for POTS but if you have a social event and worry about sweat showing you can use it for a few night beforehand. JUST keep in mind now the backs of your knees might sweat more lol.

Also- my feet used to never sweat before I had POTS. Now sometimes they do and they get very cold. I discovered Smartwool socks help keep your feet warm and dry better than cotton.

[potsyturvy]

I have checked my bp and hr during these sweating episodes, and they are usually pretty normal. I'm really curious what causes it since most of what I read about hyperhidrosis says it starts in childhood, but mine didn't start until I was 21. Thanks Kayjay for the advice on things to make it less embarassing! I'm definitely going to check out the antipersperant you were talking about! It is so gross to see huge sweat stains on the armpits of your clothes!

[peregrine]

My hyperhidrosis didn't start until the onset of my dysautonomia last year. When things are really bad - especially if I nearly pass out - I sweat a ton! It's one of my "hey, you need to sit down NOW" warning signs, hilariously. For a while in the summer - Seattle summer, so not above 70F - I would sweat so bad my dress shirts would stick to my back and even my black dress shirts would show huge pit stains. Fortunately my physical therapist never said anything about it, because I was extremely embarrassed...

[POTSMama]

I've gone through periods since developing POTS at age 29 (20+ years ago) where I couldn't sweat and then periods where I sweated normally. The only excessive sweating I had was right before I developed the POTS symptoms - - I had a weird period across a couple weeks where I'd embarassingly find myself soaking wet at work and the doctors couldn't figure out why, then it stopped as quickly as it started. More recently, over the last couple years, I've had episodic whole body excessive sweating again, every few months or so for several days (and often smelly sweat, to my dismay, since the sweating again occurred during the day while I was at my office). These periods didn't always correspond to my BP/HR problems from hyperadrenergic POTS, so I thought they were menopausal hot flashes. But I've realized since I developed MCAD symptoms over the last 2 months that the sweating may have corresponded to mast cell activation episodes. I think that the sweating attacks may actually have been a sign, in my case, of impending mast cell activation rather than the POTS itself, but I can't be sure. When I have clear POTS signs (tachycardia walking across the room, for instance) I rarely sweat. And since I've been on an antihistamine regiment for the MCAD, I've noticed I'm rarely sweating again.

[Maiysa]

Hi Potsyturvy, Sorry to hear about your sweat issue. I had the Qtest and the doc said usually even a person with dysautonomia sweats a little bit, but I had zero. I tested positive for autonomic neuropathy. But I got a flu bug last September or October and it sent my issues into a tail spin. I could not stop sweating for weeks even after the bug was gone. Even if someone knocked at the door it would send my system into floods of sweat from just being slightly startled. It was bizarre. Anyhow, the immunologist talked to me about a surgery where they could go in through my ribs to shave something off to shut off my fight or flight. Yikes. I was told my fight or flight was stuck in the "on" position. But luckily after a few months it stopped. I was told by Mayo Clinic that this is possible to have bouts of this abnormal sweating, even though I don't sweat when I should. They said it's part of the autonomic dysfunction. I wonder if Qtests can ever have false negatives. I was told there is no false positives. But maybe this is also part of the MCAS situation too. I don't know sometimes, they are so much a like. Okay, hope you find some answers soon and feel better.

[ramakentesh]

I excessively sweat - when I had a fainting episode at work I was sweating first for hours. Terribly... i was drenched in it and some women made a comment about me smelling as she got out of the lift. Very embarrassing!

[pulp]

I sweat much more than I ever did. Enough I get even slightly excited or upset and I'm drenched. Twice I've had my whole body sweating so bad it even drenched through my pants. Before I barely ever was sweaty, not even in the hottest summer day. If I eat some big meal I get cold sweats in the hands/feet.

[potsgirl]

When I was in my teen years, I sweated like a horse. I had to use that special deodorant, Mitchum (?) or be extremely embarrassed by the stains under my arms on my shirts. Now, I don't seem to sweat at all, even if I'm working out.

[rubytuesday]

I wasn't a 'sweater' unless vigorous exercise til the POTS. Walked block and a half w/ DGS this summer one morning to yard sale. A little old lady, a teenage boy, his mom, DGS (7), all others cool as cucumber and I suddenly and dropping pools of sweat all over the lady's table as I was paying her and she bagging things up--of course when sweat like that--includes my nose running like a faucet. I was so embarrassed--hair was soaked, arms were wet and sticky (DGS didn't want to hold my hand) and I had tissue in pocket but that was useless. Dr. G says it's just dysautonomia thing. That's why we have to drink, drink, drink to replace the insensible loss of fluid.