Seeking Help for Excessive Sweating

Updated on July 29, 2008
P.S. asks from San Mateo, CA
15 answers

Hello ladies-
I have suffered from excessive sweating (feet,armpits, and hands) my whole life. It has severely hindered my interactions with people. Has anyone had the same situation, and if so, what have you done to successfully treat it? I cannot afford botox, and have already tried drysol and drionics with no success. I have heard robinul works, but have not tried it yet. Thanks in advance for your help!

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G.D.

answers from Modesto on

Try taking him off any kind cheese and maybe Dairy for a while see if that helps!!!
Love, G.. :0)
http://stemcellforautism.blogspot.com/

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V.T.

answers from Redding on

Dear P.:

I make a couple of products in my natural personal care line that you might want to consider.

Flash relief is an oil that is excellent at calming the body's hormonal system -- a common stimulant for excessive sweating. A few drops in the morning and perhaps later in the afternoon (or when your internal thermostat takes off!) is often enough to keep things on an even keel. Its effects often help to minimize chronic excessive sweating.

Bergamot-based essential oil products: Bergamot is an essential oil that is unrivaled at controlling body odor and skin fungi issues (such as athletes foot). The oil kills the bacteria that live on the skin and create the offensive odor due to their excretions. In a relatively short period of time I found my excessive sweating was minimized to the point that I rarely even feel the need for antiperspirant products. My Bergamot line includes bath salts, bath gels, soaps and oils. I had the best overall effect by the application of a small amount of oil after my shower. The effects last most if not all of the day, but you can carry a small bottle with you to reapply if you have any issues arise during the day.

Take a look at my website: www.mccluckfarms.com or email me if you are interested in learning more.

1 mom found this helpful
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L.P.

answers from Sacramento on

Hi P.,

I don't have any helpful hints but I wanted to let you know you are not alone! I suffer from this as well and I know how incredibly embarrassing it can be. Other than carrying a cloth diaper in my bag to wipe hands before shaking hands, etc. I have no other advice to offer. I also tried drysol and all it did was make my hands sting like mad.

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L.R.

answers from Merced on

I'm not sure if you have health insurance; however, if your condition has been noted by your doctor a lot of times the botox will be covered.

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T.H.

answers from San Francisco on

There is a prescription medication, Hytrin (terazosin) that works very well to alleviate excessive sweating. 1-2 mg twice a day. Talk to your internist.

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A.B.

answers from Sacramento on

Dear P., I prefer talking on the phone, hate writing.Call me any time 944 46 75 or 835 20 57. A..

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K.D.

answers from San Francisco on

My 10 year old daughter has the same problem I would welcome any advice you receive.

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P.M.

answers from Fresno on

I had the same problem. I use a product called Certain-Dri. It is a roll on. You put it on right before bed, let it dry, and you are good to go. You can get it at Walgreens, Rite-aid, and Walmart just to name a few. It is a little over $5, and is found with the deodorant. Make sure you get the one you use at night. There is another one for day time. I know a few other people that use it. My 13 year old daughter started using it and she loves it too. Good luck, hope this helps!!!

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A.S.

answers from San Francisco on

I don't have any advice, but I have the exact same problem as you do, so I wanted to send my sympathies. I know how it is! I have met few people who have the same problems. I have been called faucet fingers by friends. Now my two boys (3 years old and a 5 month old) seem to have inherited this sad disposition! I like the acupuncture idea. Maybe I will try that one, too.

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G.B.

answers from Sacramento on

Although I don't have any truly helpful advice, I am so thrilled (in the worst way) to learn of others suffer with this. I really thought it was just me! I've never really met anyone whose hands, feet, etc. dripped as profusely as mine do. I have tried all the doctor reccomended stuff and charted my sweating to see if a pattern emerged, to no avail. I was reccomended botox, but my MIL is treated with it for an entirely different condition and is not a fan.

I carry a hanky or washcloth with me. It was great when my kids were infants and I always had a burp cloth handy; I felt like I used it more than they did! But it is completely embarrassing and I have struggled with it my whole life - my hands and feet are sweating now for pete's sake! I think I am guilty of leaving more handprints on doors and walls than my 2 and 4 year olds.

I definitely am going to look ino some of the suggestions below. I hope that my kids never have to deal with this.
Thanks for posing the question - I would have never thought to until now!

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L.F.

answers from Sacramento on

this may be an extreme option, BUT i had a friend who struggled with this issue for her lifetime,then went to an neurologist (surgical) who did some sort of cutting into her back (now they likely just go in w/a needle) and it totally cured her forever! she did this about 20yrs ago, so the procedure is likely now simplified and insurance might cover....worth exploring anyway...good luck

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K.H.

answers from San Francisco on

P.,

The name for this condition is called hyperhidrosis and I also have suffered from this my whole life as well. My condition was so bad that my hands would literally drip with sweat - not just when I was nervous or hot, but random times as well, making playing musical instruments or certain sports very difficult and dating or shaking hands excruciating. Over the years, I have tried everything that there is to try including: drysol (applying at night, wrapping my hands in saran wrap and putting in a sock) - this made my hands feel like they had millions of pins poking into them and made them very red; the drionic machine for hands and feet that sends an electric current through water to block the sweat – painful, time-consuming and not effective for a long-term strategy. I experimented with my diet (elimated caffeine) but this didn't help. For several years I used oxybutynin (ditropan) which is primarily for bladder control but has the side effect of drying out your system (including your eyes and mouth, though). I experimented with different dosages and it was effective for some time, but I hated taking medication that was really for another condition and it became less effective over time. Robinul works similarly to Ditropan but is for bowel control and has worked well for some people. I considered biofeedback, hypnosis and acupuncture but had not heard from anyone that this worked for them so I was unsure to go this route (although this might be an option for some people). I didn’t try was Botox which was recommended to me. I did not do this because I heard that it is very painful and expensive and I did not consider this a long-term solution. During all of this, I did extensive research on the web, participated in a number of online forums about hyperhidrosis and learned that there is another solution – surgery. As this is clearly more extreme, I was reluctant to go this route because of the expense and the risk (compensatory sweating being the primary one). I researched all of the various techniques that different surgeons used and waited another 10 years before deciding to go ahead with the surgery (called ETS). I again did a lot of research to inform myself of as many of the pros and cons as possible and to find the best doctor in the world. After very careful consideration, I believe that I found a doctor who had the most experience, used one of the more cautious methods and who had one of the best success rates. I also called about 15 people who had gone through the surgery with this doctor to talk with them about their experience and outcome. I had the surgery done about 2 years ago and it was a complete success for me. My hands and underarms are 90% drier, my feet maybe 50%. I still sweat when I am hot or exercise (which is very important and does not happen with some types of surgery). It transformed my life personally and professionally. I can wear any shirt or dress that I want, I can hold hands, shake hands confidently, my hands aren’t freezing all of the time, I can type without getting the computer all wet, I can hold a tennis racket and not have it slip and fling out of my hand and I can hold a baby now without the mother thinking the baby’s diaper has leaked after I hand them back! And, after a year of fighting with my insurance company, they covered the surgery. I want to make it very clear that I am not advocating surgery by any means – it is a very personal decision and there are many risks and I think you should exhaust all of the other methods to see if another one might work for you. But for me, after trying everything, the benefits outweighed the risks and I have no regrets. The only sad thing though (unrelated to the surgery however), is that it appears that my baby also has this condition – his little hands and feet are very sweaty most of the time. I am not surprised though because recent studies have shown it to be hereditary and my dad also suffers from this. At least I will know how to help the baby cope as he gets older. Anyway, I have many suggestions for other things you can use such as special undershirts which are effective in absorbing underarm sweat. You can find a lot of information online. My heart goes out to you because I know exactly what it is like. For me, once I found out there was a name to my condition (just 10 years ago after suffering for 28 years), just knowing that I wasn’t alone and that others could relate to what I was going through was huge. Good luck to you and others. If anyone is interested in more information, feel free to contact me.

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Y.R.

answers from San Francisco on

Hello P.,

Have you tried Classical Homeopathy or Traditional Chinese Medicine (acupuncture?) Both of these modalities have helped me and my family with many different issues and we have often avoided pharmaceuticals with their many negative side affects.

Good Luck,

Y.

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K.M.

answers from San Francisco on

My husband has this problem primarily with his feet and it drives him CRAZY. So, I am interested to hear the responses on this one. He has had success with drysol - but we go through the stuff like water. Soaking his feet in black tea also works when he does it :-)

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L.O.

answers from Sacramento on

P.,

I'm sorry to hear you have to deal with this. I too have excessive sweating in my feet, armpits and hands. I have had it since I was about 10 yrs old. I have to make sure that I wear sleaveless shirts so that I don't get wet armpits on my shirts which is quite embarrasing. In the winter I choose shirts that have designs or colors that you can't tell if they are wet or not and I avoid people. I have a 6 month old baby boy and when I was pregnant with him I was at my worst. I worked for a job where I had to be at a computer all day and my hands would sweat so bad that they would drip all over my keyboard and it would be wet with little puddles on the keys... I would go home crying becasue the problem was so bad and I felt so helpless. I had tried soaking my hands and feet in tea, drysol (made my skin itch like crazy), certain dry (didn't work at all), powders, and anything else I thought might help. I found nothing. I did research online and there is a surgery where they can clamp some of your sweat glands but the procedure costs about 5 grand. In some people the procedure stops the sweating in the hands, armpits and feet but increases sweating in the lower back or upper legs. I have also thought about botox but it isn't safe while pregnant or breastfeeding so I haven't done it (I don't have a lot of extra money anymore either since I decided to stay home with my kids and do an in home daycare). I'm sorry I don't have any remedies for you to try. I just wanted to let you know that you are not alone, I understand this problem all too well and I truely wish you the best in finding something that works. If you do try something that works for you I'd love to hear about it, please feel fee to message me and let me know. Best of luck to you!

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