Profuse Sweating: I went to my Doctor because i... - Thyroid UK

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Profuse Sweating

Lev48 profile image
7 Replies

I went to my Doctor because i was concerned about my bad sweating, which has been going on for several years now, seemingly getting worse as i get older. On the Doctors instructions i went for blood test and the outcome of this was that i had an underactive Thyroid. I was unaware of this condition. As a result i have been taking 50 MCG of levothyroxine for 18 months now. This has made no difference at all to my original problem. I tried to tell my Doctor about this and his reply was that it is" normal". In other words i am not interested! (Anyone over 60 i think is the usual attitude i find with Doctors) I am not the sort of person that is a regular fixture in the Doctors waiting room!. I am a bit overweight but i love walking or cycling. I think this would help a bit with the weight. However i cannot do this regardless of it being summer or winter because after 5 minutes or so i am sweating so badly i have to stop. NORMAL!!!!! i dont think so. I have jobs to do around my flat,ie Tiling painting etc but i know within 5 minutes of starting i will be so wet and uncomfortable i have to stop. In this lovely weather i cannot bring myself to go out because i know within 5 minutes it will be very uncomfortable.In winter there is not the slightest difference, for example i was at Domodyedova Airport in Moscow in early April when the temperature was -11. i had to go outside because of the heat in the terminal. I stood outside with a short sleeved shirt and no coat for a long time and felt quite good. All the Russians with their big fur coats and hats on where looking at me as though i was a bit weird. I felt really good. This condition is now really depressing me and i need any help or advice that is forthcoming. I feel i cannot do anything or go anywhere because of this curse on me.

I feel it is useless to go to my doctor, because they are simply not interested. Hope to hear from someone soon. many thanks in anticipation.

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Lev48 profile image
Lev48
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LuckyKat profile image
LuckyKat

Hi, it could be that you're not on enough levothyroxine or that you need to add in some T3. Do you have any recent blood test results to give us some more information?

Changes in sweating, from not sweating at all to sweating too much seem to be common amongst members of this forum and I'm sure someone will be able to offer some insight after reviewing your test results.

Regards, Katy

wanful53 profile image
wanful53

If you were a woman around the age of 50 plus, I would say you were in menopause, and experiencing hot flashes, and in need of someone to validate your experiences. I will be a person to tell you, that I am a woman, and I have the same problem, but what I have learned to do is to keep looking for answers.

I have sweated like this from a school girl age then riding the school bus, and when the bus would be crowded, we would have on the coats in winter, an my face and other parts of my body would begin to leak water. After leaving the bus, I would have to go straight to the bathroom and wipe down.

As we get older, we find ourselves in unexpected situations with our hormones, and as we try to have communications with our physicians, they look at us as though we should lose weight, and then come back and talk to them. Some physicians do not realize that we actually followed some of the world’s greatest weight lost instructional diets. Since the National Institute of Health (NIH), published awareness campaign, within the past five-years about the increase of obesity and the key cause and effects of bad carbohydrates of which we were instructed to eat in our daily diets. I have since learned to do not touch them.

You are not alone, and I thought I would let you know that I returned from my morning walk about 7 AM, of which; I try to finish 3 miles within 45 min. as a challenge to me, and I am washed down in soaked clothes. I recover, replenish, and start over the next day. Today my feet and legs were not so painful; it was a great day.

For instants, I walked one mile in 20 minutes this morning, with both feet and legs taped and bandaged about 4" above the ankles. It probably looks strange to other people, and I walk with biker’s gloves, a stick and shoes that l resemble the penny loafers. Daily, I wear a band tied around my head to soak up the sweat. I am sure it looks strange, but it is what I have to do for me in order to have a clear head daily, as I wrestle with a hormonal imbalance, and what seems like a thyroid issue.

As i walk , people pass and blow, because i am loosing body mass, of course, I want to see another 20 pounds leave, but it took years to acquire and maintain the this crazy condition, of which I took inconclusive test that said I did not have a Thyroid problem. I too, continue to search for answers, but I do it with this mind set…

This is where I am in this phrase of life, therefore, therefore, I'm going to embrace it, and do what I can to help rid myself of this condition. I try homeopathy minerals, and most natural/organic products, and walking to my daily agenda.

You may want to look up a book called The Pill Book; it is a consumer's guide to pills. I find it very helpful, when I am prescribed a medicine, and I look up the side effects, and whether the pill is a synthetic, or a

**Note, hormonal problems are usually issues of the Endocrine System, which is a collection of glands that produce hormones that regulate metabolism, growth and development, tissue function, sexual function, reproduction, sleep, and mood, among other things, as well as, a the thyroid malfunctioning which can cause many recurring illnesses.**

Thyroid Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)

Increases metabolism and may worsen the SYMPTOMS OF OTHER-hormone related- diseases including diabetes and Addison's disease.

Ask your physicians about... natural cures or regular food intake changes.

Ginger, Armour Thyroid tabs (ask your physicians), brewer’s yeast, golden seal...

Your story helped me to continue my course, although; I may look strange to some, I am loosing body mass to others. When I sweat in public, I have on a headband, or just a simple washcloth, and keep it moving. I hope this was helpful.

Lev48 profile image
Lev48 in reply to wanful53

Many thanks for your reply. I really feel for you, although my condition is depressing it seems nowhere as bad as yours. Lev48

Rebec profile image
Rebec

Have a look at nhs.uk/Conditions/Hyperhidr...

It appears that there is treatment available (didn't know it even existed until I googled hyperhidrosis).

Good luck!

P.S. if one GP doesn't seem to respond to your problem, why don't you then go to another one?

Lev48 profile image
Lev48 in reply to Rebec

Many thanks for your reply. I think i may go down the Hyperhidrosis route and see what i can come up with. Changing doctors will no doubt help as well. lev48

Rebec profile image
Rebec in reply to Lev48

I can understand the problem, because I also perspire by far more than normal but one word of warning, from my own experience. I used, in my youth, a very strong anti-perspirant which did magic but I discovered later on that closing one area of perspiration means that another one will be used and from perspiring under the armpits, I started perspiring on my face! Also, we now know to keep away from products that contain aluminium as it seeps into our body, and, from what I understand, it finds its way in a part of the body which can live without being invaded by Al.

I think that one should find out by trial and error if one perspires less when one stops drinking tea and coffee as well as alcoholic drinks. There is also the question of stress: if one starts perspiring and there are people around, the perspiration becomes more abundant because we worry of what the others might think. So it becomes a vicious circle.

I noticed that some people who live in hot countries wear under their shirts a T-shirt made of cotton which absorbs the perspiration. So maybe try this and see if it works for you.

humanbean profile image
humanbean

People often have high or low cortisol as a result of being hypothyroid for a long time, particularly if they have been left untreated. When taken to the absolute extremes, low cortisol can precipitate Addison's Disease, and high cortisol can precipitate Cushing's Syndrome. But long before the extremes are reached people can begin to develop some symptoms of these diseases. Both conditions have sweating as a symptom. It would be worth your while to find out if you have issues with your cortisol levels. Unfortunately the NHS and the medical profession are only interested in the extremes of low or high cortisol. They are not interested in people who are "on the way" to having problems, but may never reach the extremes. Also, the official tests that get done for either condition are really only useful for the extreme cases.

There is a test that people can do privately which relies on four saliva samples being produced at four specific times of day. The cortisol and DHEA is measured. Since the test is a private one the results are sent to you.

gdx.net/uk/product/27

The problem is, if your results are particularly high or low the doctors are unlikely to be the slightest bit interested. But at least you can take some self-help measures - although what those measures are for high cortisol is not terribly clear. But if you can find what works for you it might reduce your sweating.

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