# I can't stop he 'sweating' anxiety.



## Positive (Jun 29, 2009)

As you folks know, I tried Propranolol and it hasn't worked. Granted, I've tried anywhere from 20mg-60mg.

I am considering something else as I have a blood test result consultation this weekend. I plan to bring up a few suggestion. Someone had posted an article from Oprah regarding the sweating issue and the article suggested 'xanax' to be effective?

Another SA memeber suggested mirtazapine.

I really want to use this just for work, for on/off situations.

Please help me. I have had 3-5 sweat break outs in the past few days. =(


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## meyaj (Sep 5, 2009)

lol any doctor who gives xanax for sweating should have their license revoked

Try an anticholinergic like cogentin or something, or perhaps even a tricyclic antidepressant


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## arth67 (Aug 6, 2009)

any way of reducing your stress level will help such as an antidepressant or some other beta blocker. losing weight and more exercise helps
where do you sweat from?

avoid hot spicy foord and sauces as these make you sweat more


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## Positive (Jun 29, 2009)

arth67 said:


> any way of reducing your stress level will help such as an antidepressant or some other beta blocker. losing weight and more exercise helps
> where do you sweat from?
> 
> avoid hot spicy foord and sauces as these make you sweat more


It's pretty much anxiety related.

Propanalolo hasn't worked for me.

I am quite active. I exercise 3-4 times a week.

I feel the sweat in my body, but the most notable area is my head.


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## meyaj (Sep 5, 2009)

Antidepressants can help with the anxiety, which can help reduce the sweating.

Anticholinergics have the effect of reducing sweat whether it is anxiety-related or not.

So a tricyclic like amitryptiline, which is an antidepressant with strong anticholinergic effects, has the potential to reduce the sweating on two different levels. And as amitryptiline is fairly unique in not just being a 5HT2C antagonist, but rather a fairly potent inverse agonist, it should be extra helpful with anxiety.

If it's bothering you that badly, it's probably worth a shot.


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## Positive (Jun 29, 2009)

meyaj said:


> Antidepressants can help with the anxiety, which can help reduce the sweating.
> 
> Anticholinergics have the effect of reducing sweat whether it is anxiety-related or not.
> 
> ...


I'll write down those names. Are hose generic name terms? Are those available in the USA? I just wanna use these on/off.

Today I had another situation, even if it was a short 15 min meeting, my body was just in heat mode, and worrying. Some suggested klonopin and clonidine.

Thanks.


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## meyaj (Sep 5, 2009)

Well there's really only one specific drug I mentioned, amitriptyline. It's a generic and been around for quite some time. Since I know from your other thread you're looking for a medication-only solution, I think that particular drug may be helpful.

Klonopin seems a bit overkill for sweating and I'm willing to bet that any dose that takes away the anxiety enough to stop the sweating is not going to leave you very functional. Benzos aren't particularly effective for this, so it's really not worth risking benzo dependence until you've exhausted all other reasonable options.

Clonidine might be an option to look into, and I know it's definitely used sometimes for excessive sweating, but if propranolol didn't help you, it seems unlikely to be much more effective. It still may be worth a try.

Still, amitriptyline would be my strongest recommendation.


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## Positive (Jun 29, 2009)

meyaj said:


> Well there's really only one specific drug I mentioned, amitriptyline. It's a generic and been around for quite some time. Since I know from your other thread you're looking for a medication-only solution, I think that particular drug may be helpful.
> 
> Klonopin seems a bit overkill for sweating and I'm willing to bet that any dose that takes away the anxiety enough to stop the sweating is not going to leave you very functional. Benzos aren't particularly effective for this, so it's really not worth risking benzo dependence until you've exhausted all other reasonable options.
> 
> ...


Thanks.. Ughh..

This really sucks, living like this and having the anxiety accelerate. Prop didn' help me, and I know it's something related to the chemicals in my brain. The only thing possible is for me to be in a super chilly area and it counters my body heat.

.


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## KurtG85 (Sep 19, 2008)

meyaj said:


> lol any doctor who gives xanax for sweating should have their license revoked
> 
> Try an anticholinergic like cogentin or something, or perhaps even a tricyclic antidepressant


I would think it would be a fairly standard treatment for the issue considering that most of the time severe sweating is brought on by severe panic attacks or just severe general anxiety, severe social phobia, etc. etc. (speaking from experience with the sweating issue) I'd guess this is what the doc has in mind to use xanax to treat.


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## GSH (Jul 16, 2009)

KurtG85 said:


> I would think it would be a fairly standard treatment for the issue considering that most of the time severe sweating is brought on by severe panic attacks or just severe general anxiety, severe social phobia, etc. etc. (speaking from experience with the sweating issue) I'd guess this is what the doc has in mind to use xanax to treat.


Makes since to me...less anxiety = slower heart rate = less prone to sweating.


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## Medline (Sep 23, 2008)

meyaj said:


> lol any doctor who gives xanax for sweating should have their license revoked


Like Kurt I think that a potent anxiolytic like Xanax as needed can be an adequate treatment for excessive sweating caused by anxiety. I don't think that doctors should have their license revoked just because they treat anxiety-related excessive sweating with a benzodiazepine.



Positive said:


> It's pretty much anxiety related.





meyaj said:


> Antidepressants can help with the anxiety, which can help reduce the sweating.





meyaj said:


> Clonidine might be an option to look into, and I know it's definitely used sometimes for excessive sweating, but if propranolol didn't help you, it seems unlikely to be much more effective. It still may be worth a try.
> 
> Still, amitriptyline would be my strongest recommendation.


Why do you think that clonidine (a centrally-acting α-adrenergic receptor agonist) is unlikely to help him because propranolol (a non-selective beta blocker) did not? Those drugs can also be combined if necessary (eventually with lowered doses). Amitriptyline has a lot of side effects and has never shown to be effective for social phobia in a (randomized, controlled, double-blind) trial, but I agree that because of it's strong anticholinergic action (the main reason for it's unpleasant side effects) it may be useful in the treatment of excessive sweating.


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## arth67 (Aug 6, 2009)

sweating from heaad can be coped with by wearing a hat made of towelling that soaks some of it up, also hat can be used to mop forehead


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## db0255 (Jul 20, 2009)

This might seem a far-fetched solution to the problem, but have you ever thought about moving somewhere a little colder? Although, I know sweating in a coat when it's cold is actually _more_ bothersome to me.


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## Positive (Jun 29, 2009)

Thanks guys.

I have been working a lot, inside and out. I work in an office.
I've cut out coffee, cut down on alcohol and in fact wanna quit alcohol. I just drink weekends. The past 3 months I have been active in basketball.

It's like a subconscious, uncontrollable anxiety. 

I'll mention clonodine + light dosage of xanac?

I really appreciate the help. I know I might have over reactive glands, but I can tell this is all from anxiety. Because w/ some managers I work with, I feel happy, calm, and pleasant. But w/ some, I feel very anxious, to the point where I can't control the sweat.

For example, we can go into a convo and if they put me on the spot, and I stutter or mess up, I have open the gateway to sweat !! For some reason, my subconscious trumped everything. I guess i was in a good mood, since it was a Friday.

Im going in tomorrow, and I will see what the doctor says.


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## Positive (Jun 29, 2009)

GSH said:


> Makes since to me...less anxiety = slower heart rate = less prone to sweating.


I am pretty confident I can separate the sweating from physical activity and anxiety sweat.

I just wanna use this for on/off, in other situations I wanna fight it.

Someone posted an article on oprah about something similar. They said someone had a sweat problem, despite them okay being in social settings. They took xanax as needed and it stopped the sweating.

I think I'm in a similar situation.


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## meyaj (Sep 5, 2009)

The problem with Xanax and other benzos is that they can be very reinforcing if you use them too regularly. Even a very mild dependence can cause you to sweat more when off the drug, which will make you want to treat it, take more Xanax, just increasing the dependence, increasing the anxiety symptoms, including sweating, when off the drug, and you're probably smart enough to see how this can get one caught up in a vicious cycle.

I'm not saying not to try the Xanax. Used properly, a clonidine + low-dose xanax combination is probably going to be more pleasant than amitriptyline, although I still doubt it would be as effective. It's just important to be careful and not let your usage escalate and get out of hand.

I guess a real consideration to keep in mind would be how often you experience your sweating break-outs, and whether or not you can anticipate them. If it's not too frequently (2-3 times a week, max, in my opinion), and you can tell ahead of time that you're going to be sweating, clonidine and/or Xanax would probably be a more attractive option. 

If it's happening on an almost daily basis, and you're really unable to tell when you're going to be sweating until you're already sweating, the amitriptyline would make more sense, in my opinion, as it's more suitable for 24/7 use. As effective as Xanax is for anxiety, you probably don't want to be on it too often (especially for something as benign as sweating) as it has the potential to just make things worse in the long run.


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## Positive (Jun 29, 2009)

meyaj said:


> The problem with Xanax and other benzos is that they can be very reinforcing if you use them too regularly. Even a very mild dependence can cause you to sweat more when off the drug, which will make you want to treat it, take more Xanax, just increasing the dependence, increasing the anxiety symptoms, including sweating, when off the drug, and you're probably smart enough to see how this can get one caught up in a vicious cycle.
> 
> I'm not saying not to try the Xanax. Used properly, a clonidine + low-dose xanax combination is probably going to be more pleasant than amitriptyline, although I still doubt it would be as effective. It's just important to be careful and not let your usage escalate and get out of hand.
> 
> ...


Thanks for taking the time. Well, at work, I have my planned meetings and out of the blue situations. But for the most part, I plan 'not' to use it. I only plan to use it, if I had a big meeting, or audit or that kind of thing.

I dunno how far my doctor will go w/ that though.


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## idunno (Sep 12, 2008)

i know the feeling
you should try oxybutynin
and also maybe glycopyrrolate/avert tablets and pads,which you can wipe on your forehead etc
but oxybutynin for starters.very cheap to order on net.
and clonazepam,as little as possible only when really needed


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## bubblebath (Dec 3, 2012)

I would highly recommend a product called AHC, it is absolutely brilliant! I've been using it now for 2 months and I'm dry all day, not even a trickle of sweat! Here's the link if you want to check it out!  Good luck!

http://www.scrubsuk.com/hyperhidros...rhidrosis-antiperspirant-ahc20-classic-1.html


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## bazinga (Jun 9, 2010)

For sweating, I have tried beta blockers, benzos, antidepressants, antipsychotics, anticholinergics, anticonvulsants, and prescription antipersperants/Certain Dri (non-prescription). Hardly anything worked. Prescription antipersperants and Certain Dri can work by clogging the sweat pores. However, if you overuse it you end up with a nasty dry-rash and have to discontinue it for a while.

Anticholinergics also work but they dry you out inside and out and cause extreme constipation. Keep the dose low.

Currently I take kratom for sweating. It is a godsend but I have to take it about 2-3 times a day.


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## mazzy1 (Mar 22, 2013)

I suffer from hyperhidrosis and i realised that I sweat more under my arm when I am anxious like at a job interview and so on...
for my condition I have been using AHC30 from a website called Scrubsuk.com and that helped me a lot in controlling my sweating and dealt with my anxiety by breathing a good fresh air before my interview

Good luck and hope this helps


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## bazinga (Jun 9, 2010)

Kratom. Is the only thing that stops my hyperhidrosis.


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