Excessive sweating

joanneredshaw

Hi everyone

Has anyone noticed an increase in sweating with RA or OA, I take methotrixate 8 tablets on a monday, sulfalzalsine 2 tablets twice a day and diclofenic 100 mg a day as well as Amitriptyline 10mg a night.
I sweat so much it has become embarrassing and I have to change my clothes at least twice a day. Its especially under my arms and I am soaked after an hour of putting on my work clothes.
Antiperspirants don't seem to help. Can anyone advise me on this please?
Is it the condition or the medication? HELP!

Jo :sad:

tillytop

Hi Jo

I have this problem too (I have RA) but my probs are thought to be hormonal rather than RA or med related. But I do understand how embarrassing and inconvenient it can be. I've not really found a way to manage it because, like you say, anti-perspirants do nothing. You can buy anti-perspirants which are meant to be super strong but I have not found them to be helpful (last 24 hours? lucky if they last 2 mins in my case :roll:) . I do find that Lanacane powder is good for relieving the discomfort which can be associated with excessive sweating but other than that can't offer any tips Im afraid. I have seen some specialist products on the shelves in the chemist which are supposed to help with excessive sweating but I haven't tried them so I don't know if they work or not.

Sorry I can't be more help...

Tilly xxx

dreamdaisy

I am sitting here with the fan on, bath towel to hand, so yes sweating is a problem. In my case I put it down to the steroids, the humira and the tramadol pain killers (tho of those three only the first two apply at the mo, I am a trammy-free zone as I have to work later). It is worse at night - my pillow is wrapped in a towel, I have a hand towel in bed with me and if it is really bad I sleep on a towel. Cooking makes it all worse - Mr DD comes in of an evening to find me draped across the work top, in a sodden nightdress, hair dripping and mopping down - sexy or what?

My sweating is a side effect of the meds, without a doubt. It was never a problem for me until the steroids (I began those in Feb 2007) and the humira has not helped. I was a hugely drippy woman before Feb 07 but that was the menopause and understandable for me and others: the hot flush sweats were very different to these med-induced ones tho. A hand towel goes out with me to the pub, a restaurant, the theatre - whatever we are doing. I also take a fan. It is a nuisance but the way I look at it is it doesn't actually hurt. I can manage anything as long as it doesn't hurt. DD

Compositor

Hi Jo

Unfortunately, as with all meds the side effects are something else. I can agree with you on this about sweating, I personally was on Fentanyl patches for quite some while, I found that pain controlwise it was helping, but, the sweating was a major factor, apparantly it's not the same with everyone (according to the consultant), it drove me round the bend the sweating, embarrasing and all the things that members say above, I got concious of visiting friends, one of the first things I do is put a cushion(s) behind my back wherever I am were possible, in almost every instance the cushions were soaked. Eventually, I couldn't stand it anymore, and asked for alternative meds and weaned myself of the patches (that's another story). It's difficult Jo...good luck.

John Compositor)

julie47

Hi jo
I Have RA ,My problem is mainly at night when i am in bed. I often have my leg out the duvet even on these -5 frost nights. I also have to change night clothes as they are often wet through.I do have face flushes don't know what they are, could be hormones or my neck could be causing that problem........I just blame arthur for everything.

Hope you can find some sort of solution.
Take care
Juliepf x

suzygirl

I was told it was inflammation that caused the sweats. However, the meds don't help. Add in hormones and an overworked liver from all the meds and its now wonder we have the sweats!!!

A simple symptom but one which causes untold misery and discomfort.

nanarose

Hi Jo.
I sympathise with you, it seems that many of us already living with the pain of arthritis have these awful side-effects to contend with too. :sad:

I suffer really badly from day and night sweats, but I'm not sure if it's my age or not!
I do feel that they have become increasingly worse after having a steroid jab a while ago though.
I too am on meth (injected 25mg) and I get really embarrassed and uncomfortable with these sweating episodes too, although my family understands what is happening and are very supportive, and I always have a fan in my bag when I go out - my Mum bought it for me when she was abroad, probably more as an ornamental thing, but it gets plenty of use. At least I look quite exotic using a frilly fan, rather than fanning myself with a newspaper, placemat, or anything else that might produce a waft of cool air!

Re anti-perspirants - there is one called Driclor which is available over the counter which can work well for some people. You must follow the directions exactly though, or you will end up with a sore skin. Nothing is easy is it?

I find that wearing cotton helps, and I always wear layers so when I have a sweat I can take a layer off when I'm hot, then put it back on again when I start to get cold.

I also have a floor standing fan for night time use, and it has been worth it's weight in gold. I put it on, just as I'm feeling a sweat starting, and it really does help a lot.....well that, and an open window too! I must have one of the coldest bedrooms in the UK!

The only other thing is to talk to your doctor, explain how bad this is affecting you, and hope that they might be able to suggest something, whether it is decreasing your medication or something else.

Other than that, it does seem that we have to just learn to get on with this problem....that's yet another nice 'little' side-effect we can add to our ever increasing list. :roll:

At least you know now, that you are not alone, you can join the 'Sweaty Betty' club! Not funny I know, but if you can't change anything, you have to develop either a thick skin or a sense of humour.

I wish you well. x

elnafinn

Hi Jo,

My daughter would really sympathise with you. She does not take any meds on a daily basis but the sweating was really getting her down. She had tried everything like you. She was finding that she could not wear half of her clothes because of being so embarrassed when she started to sweat and would not wear anything light coloured either. In the end she took her problem to the gp and was given a script for some kind of under arm spray or something and she says it is all so much better and one thing less to worry about. She has quite a stressful job and has to meet lots of people and speak in front of groups of strangers and she says now her problem is no longer a problem for her.

Perhaps a chat with your gp may help.

Elna x

frogmorton

I was told that teh inflamation causes the sweats too.

I have discovered a new deoderant which is supposed to last 48 hours.....I can't advertise, but it is available in supermarkets.

I buy it for one of my kids because she has a BO issue. :oops:

When I am not flaring l do NOt get as hot for certain.

Love

toni xx

dreamdaisy

We're all just hot babes, simples. (Yes, even you, compositor!) DD

MissKat

I've used something called Driclor in the past... genius stuff. Recommend it highly. Think someone else mentioned it too... don't use it a day either side of shaving your armpits or it's a stinger! :oops: You can get it at Boots

need me bed

MissKat wrote:

I've used something called Driclor in the past... genius stuff. Recommend it highly. Think someone else mentioned it too... don't use it a day either side of shaving your armpits or it's a stinger! :oops: You can get it at Boots

I'd rather buy it in a bottle!

I have use Driclor also and it does work very well. I get Night Sweats and have had my hormone levels checked and it'd not that having read this post it would seem it's a side effect of my meds.... I tend not to wear anything in bed any more coz i get way too hot. Having said that my bed is usually like a swimming pool by the time i get up.. having to change sheets daily is such a chore also. :oops: Sometimes it just makes me cry coz i feel so awful. Will mention this next time i see the rheumy. One of my friends mentioned Black Cohosh but I haven't tried it,

Good luck hope you soon find summat that helps xxxxx

jennylynn

Hi Joanne,
Thank you so much for highlighting this problem! i must admit that i can be sat in a room full of people thinking i am having early onset of menopause cos i am so hot and they all have their winter thermals on! i'd never thought it could be connected to the arthur or the meds. I feel slightly more 'normal' now. I always carry deodorant and perfume with me, but to be honest i just assumed i was a particularly sweaty person.

Jennyx

[Deleted User]

frogmorton wrote:

I was told that teh inflamation causes the sweats too.

I have discovered a new deoderant which is supposed to last 48 hours.....I can't advertise, but it is available in supermarkets.



Love

toni xx

There is no problem with letting people know of a product that may be helpful and is not considered advertising.

Moderator Z

chez86

I do still sweat more than i should under my arms but it was terrible when I was at school and college. It upset my quality of life so much that my Grandad (now sadly passed away) paid for me to have botox injections in my armpits under private treatment at Bupa. It was not available on the NHS as it was classed as 'cosmetic treatment'. The results only lasted around 9 months but they were AMAZING. Not only did my symptoms get better, they completely disappeared. I almost stopped sweating completely (unless I was working out at the gym etc).

I had two treatments over two years (both to last me over the spring/summer time) and found that it got better quite a lot as I got older anyway so I didnt have anymore. Plus, they don't like you to have it too much as it does come with small risks.

p.s. this was diagnosed as more of a condition because it was quite bad (i would soak the under arms of a shirt in no time). It is called hyper-hydrosis.

I got my RA years after, and I do not know if the treatment would be safe to have whilst on medication etc. Just an idea to think about if it is really affecting your confidence deeply.

skinnylizzie

There is a treatment available on the NHS called Iontopheresis which is used for hyper-hidrosis when the driclor doesn't work.
They're not sure how it works physiologically, but basically the treatment is done by passing a small electric current through some pads which are placed under the arms and it somehow blocks the sympathetic nervous reaction which creates the sweat. Sounds more horrific than it actually is... It's not a permanent solution, but has certainly been proven to work. Might be worth asking the doctor about it?

dreamdaisy wrote:

We're all just hot babes, simples. (Yes, even you, compositor!) DD

absolutely!

Compositor

They offered me that Skinny, but, I refused it! I didn't like the sound of it, the young lady who described it to me didn't sound that confident herself...after all, you got be careful when your Hot Stuff haha.

Compositor x