Hyperhidrosis (Excessive Sweating)

A coworkers daughter has excessive sweating in her armpits and has been getting botox injections for a few years now. From my coworker, I've heard that the injections are extremely painful; so much so that the doctor commented that it's rare that he sees patients for more than one treatment. That being said, it has worked like a charm. She has no excessive sweating in her armpits. For her, it was worth the pain.

I suffered from hyperhidrosis for 30+ years of my life. The symptoms of excessive sweating in the hands all the time brings back such horrible memories. I remember writing whatever and my hands would drip like I was wringing out a rag, I avoid holding hands or shaking hands too embarrassing with the drippy hands. I came across a surgery where the Sympathic (sp?) nerve is overaveractive- which causes excessive sweating. I had the surgery 5 1/2 yr ago where the snip the nerves and have no had sweaty hands since!!!!!!!!!! : ) Imagine my shock when I applied for a job recently and my hands were toooo dry to get good fingerprints - something I never heard before. There is HOPE available. The surgery has for ever changed my life!!! This website gives you an idea of what I'm talking about. : http://www.curesweatypalms.com/ Feel freee to ask me any ?s and best wishes!!!
C. - ____@____.com

Hey there, i know EXACTLY what you are talking about!!! I hattttte it!! I also tried the certain dry, it sorta worked but not really and it like burned my skin..........I only have this problem in my armpits, but i have read/heard about the botox....I am considering doing this too, although it says that if it stops sweat in the armpits the sweat will just move to another part of the body.......SO im not sure, but interested in what others have tried! Just know that your not alone, also i wear alot of the under armor shirts they aren't very pretty but for running around i dont mind!

Hi L., I've had hyperhidrosis (mainly armpits) since I was a young teenager (I'm in my early 40's now). I have never been able wear light or silky tops because I would always have huge sweat stains. It's been an embarrassing situation pretty much my entire life! But, last year I went to a cosmetic surgeon in Dublin, CA and had the MiraDry treatment (google MiraDry and several NorCal doctors will pop up). The absolute WORST PART was the lidocaine injections before the actual procedure. OMG they hurt! BUT, I noticed a huge difference immediately after treatment in the amount of underarm sweat I produced. So much so, that I went and bought several light and breezy colored tops for a cruise that I was going on! Now, please note, I still sweat a little bit. But, NOTHING like it was before the treatment! You can receive up to three MiraDry treatments, but I haven't gone back for a second round because of the lidocaine shots. Maybe if they drugged me up first I would go again! Anyway, I hope this helps. It really was worth the cost overall (about $1,400 but the 2nd and 3rd treatments are way cheaper). Good luck! All the best to you!

I realize it is not Kaiser, but Dr. Richard Glogau at UCSF is one of the pioneering doctors in this field. Check out some of the articles he has written about Botox (I think he was the doc who figured out botox works for this condition but I'm not sure) or call for a consult. I know it may cost you some $ but it may also give you some alternatives you haven't explored yet. Maybe some cheaper than botox or precription anti-perspirants. And I agree 100% that you need to talk to your insurance and go through all their steps (appeal etc). Many cosmetic procedures are not covered on the surface, but some can be deemed medically necessary cosmetic procedures (my daughter had a medically necessary cosmetic surgery) and will be covered. Good luck!!!!

There is a new treatment for this. I don't think is has been FDA approved yet but there were clinical trials you might want to look into. Look at the Miramar Labs website. The product is MiraDry.

I hope it works out for you - when the product was described to me, they basically told your story without having seen it. Good luck.

Under Armour has great shirts for sweat.......I would try those.........I use Degree antiperspirant, and although I don't have your issue, I had menopause and that caused me to sweat like crazy at times during the day.........

I agree with seeing a specialists...........never hurts to get more than one opinion and a specialists in that area..............

Good Luck and I hope you can get this under control, I know how bad depression can be, and it can be very hurtful to your body and mind.

My prayers are with you......take care......

You can go to customer service and appeal the decision. It may or may not be overturned. Ask your physician for a referral and if they will not assist change MDs. It is your physican's responsibility to assist and advocate for you and it is administration's responsibility to determine what your contract covers.

Hi L. - I suffer from the same condition (since I was a small child) and tried everything you mentioned plus a few others, except Botox. The thing that dissuaded me about Botox is that it is expensive, painful and temporary. I wanted to find something that I would be able to use to manage my condition long term. After an extensive research process (over a period of 8 years), I had surgery done in 2005 with a Dr. Reisfeld in LA. http://www.sweaty-palms.com/

It changed my life. My hands and underarm sweat reduced by about 90%, my feet only by 25% maybe. I have learned to deal with my feet - changing socks regularly and shoes as well and understanding that I just can't wear most open toed shoes. The best thing is that because of the type of ETS that I had, I still sweat normally on my face and other places when I am working out or when it is really hot outside. I am sitting here typing this message and my hands are dry. I am planning to take guitar lessons (never could have imagined it in a million years before). It is major surgery so not to be taken lightly. After fighting with my insurance for well over a year they finally covered it (because they knew it was justified). Feel free to contact me personally if you want more information about my surgery (I talked to about 10 people by phone who had had ETS done by this Dr. before doing it.

In the meantime - there is a line of shirts that I wore before the surgery specially designed for hyperhidrosis - they have an extra protective layer in the armpits. http://www.jeez-ca.com/ and another I just found doing a search - http://www.advantagewear.com/womensunderwear.html . They actually have some attractive designs. I found them to be a lifesaver at the time.

Good luck.

hello,

Ive had the same issue for as long as i can remember, i was treated by a dermatologist who had never heard of this before and he tested me for hyperthyroidism and many other things, and then prescribed me a drysol which did nothing for my condition.
I have given up on finding anything to help me until recently when i learned i was pregnant and the thought of not hold my childs hand because they are sweating is disturbing.
i now belong to kaiser, but im finding it hard to find a dermatologist that knows anything about hyperhidrosis. i even had someone tell me its just because of my hormones and to cool off if im feeling hot! which has nothing to do with the condition.
please help. someone, anyone.

Hi L., my medical condition is very different than yours but I am a Kaiser patient and I get botox shots. My condition Spasmadic Dysphonia.
My vocal cords get too close together when I speak which causes my words to get chocked off and noone can understand me. I get Botox shots in my cords every two months as that relaxes them enough that they dont get too close together and I can speak normallly. Botox is NOT approved by the FDA for my condtion but Kaiser still covers the injection as I just go see the doctor in Union City/Kaiser that does the shots. It would seem to me that
you need to find out if there is a Kaiser doctor in your area that does Botox shots in the armpits. My doctor is a Head and Neck Surgeon in Union City but she is also the doctor that does the Botox shots in the vocal cords for us with this medical condtion. The point of my response is if Kaiser covers my Botox shots for a medical condition that isnt approved by the FDA it would seem to me they would cover your condition because the
shots are approved by the FDA for it. Even if there is not a Kaiser doctor that does this they can always send you out of network. I hope this helps a little. K.

Hi L.,

My sister had this problem and also had Kaiser and the surgery. I am not sure if she paid for it out of pocket or insurance covered it but the bottom line is that it was life-chaging for her to not have to deal with this problem anymore. She loves that her hands are so dry sometimes she needs lotion! So find out more and save up for the surgery if necessary. J.

I can't really comment on dealing with hyperhidrosis but I work for Kaiser. I would call Member Services and ask if it is covered benefit and if there is a specialist in Kaiser that you should see to discuss treatment options for you. If it is provided but not paid for you can always submit a request to members services about why you feel it is medically needed and should be covered. Member services phone number is on the back of your Kaiser card. Hope this helps.

I did an externship in a Dermatology office a year ago. We had several patients that also had Hyperdydrosis and receieved botox treatments in conjuction with some other topical things and they all said that it helped tremendously. I also worked 12 yrs for a health insurance company. First start by verifying if the botox is or is not covered. If it is not check with the insurance company about their Prior Authorization policy. You Dr may be required to fill out a form/ answer a few questions ect. Some companies may cover things that are normally not covered for extreme situations or for specific medical neccessity/ diagnosis? If you try that and it is still not being covered you next step may be an appeal or grievenace? Go through all the steps that are avaiable. Exhaust every option. Keep documentation of everything including who you spoke to, dates and times ect. If you have to go all the way up to the Insurance comissioner in your state. Have you seen a professional for you depression other than your Physcian? If so you may need them to also provide some documentation regarding your condition/emotional well being.
Good luck I hope this helped. :)

Have you been referred to a specialist by your primary? That would be the first step and the specialists office would probably know better if you could get it covered. Maybe an endocrinologist?

Just wanted to let you know you're not alone!! I too suffer from this condition. I am 25 years old and it started when I was 14. When I was 19 I went to a dermatologist to see if there was anything I can do about it and he prescribed me that Drysol you said you've tried. It did burn and itch the first few times I used it, but after that it didn't and it was the only thing that acutally stopped the sweating! I don't take it now because I am pregnant and concerned about it harming the baby, and I have read it may be linked to alzheimers and cancer. I am definitely considering botox after I have the baby, but I will have to do more research on it. Sorry I can't help you, just wanted you to know I know exactly what you're going through. Good luck I truely hope you find something that works permanately, it is no way to live!!

Ask your doctor about Hytrin (terazosen). It's a pill with few side effects, in my experience, and cuts sweating down by half or more.

T. Hartman, MD

My sister in law had this issue. She had surgery to correct it (armpits), which has worked well. I think there are only a few surgeons who do this surgery. Maybe you could consider talking to your doctor?