I am a 28 year old female, and I am having some sweating problems. It seems the older I get the worse it becomes. I profusely sweat from my face, including my neck. I do not sweat anywhere else. It really causes problems in my everyday life. If I do anything physical I start to sweat and cannot stop. And not just a little perspiration, but a large quantity. I have been taking Zoloft for at least 6 years, would this have anything to do with it? It is just awful, I can’t even walk out of my home without breaking a sweat. Please any advice?
Answered by: Maria/ MD HealthForum.com Team
Sweating is your body’s mechanism to regulate its temperature. It is normal to sweat after exercise, when you are nervous or when in a warm environment. However, sweating without such triggers may indicate an underlying medical condition. Frequent or constant excessive sweating is a complaint of people who have hyperhidrosis.
In hyperhydrosis, the amount of sweat secreted is greater than needed to cool the body. This condition usually affects the palms of the hands, soles of the feet, face and underarms. Symptoms of hyperhydrosis may disrupt normal daily activities and may cause social anxiety or embarrassment.
Hyperhydrosis stems from the body’s temperature regulation system, specifically the sweat glands. A rise in body temperature triggers the autonomic nervous system to stimulate the sweat glands to secrete fluid onto the surface of your skin. This fluid (perspiration) lowers the body temperature as in evaporates. Our sweat contains substances that help in regulating the balance of fluids in the body.
One type of hyperhydrosis is known as focal hyperhydrosis. It commonly involves excessive sweating of small areas of the body such as palms, soles and underarms. The sweating typically occurs at daytime without apparent reason. Focal hyperhidrosis usually begins before age 20 and is not related to an underlying disorder. Its exact cause is unknown, but it is thought to be an inherited condition.
Excessive sweating may also arise from diseases such as hyperthyroidism. It may also result from intake of food items containing caffeine or alcohol, or could be a side-effect of certain drugs. I’ve read that patients who experience excessive sweating while on Zoloft are encouraged contact their health care providers immediately because it is one of the symptoms of serotonin syndrome.
There are many treatment options for hyperhydrosis. Mild cases may resolve with simple remedies such as the use of antiperspirants, but others may require drugs or surgery. I recommend that you talk to your doctor about your symptoms. He or she will carry out standard examination procedures and from there you will be informed of the treatment options that would suit you best.
This blog entry is for your general information only. I recommend that you discuss your symptoms with your own doctor.
Reference:
http://www.mayoclinic.org/hyperhidrosis/
http://www.drugs.com/zoloft.html
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Tags: excessive sweating, hyperhidrosis, Serotonin, Serotonin Syndrome, sweat, Zoloft
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