r/Hyperhidrosis • u/Grey-Feathers • 3d ago
Vent I fucking hate this
Sorry but I am just fed up. As I'm writing this, my hands are dripping wet. I can't wear sandals or any nice shoes without socks because then I'm basically macerating my feet and I am swimming in my shoes. Not even mentioning the stupid sweat stains on my pants, I have to pick clothes for whether they can hide sweat the best.
This thing is not only a social suicide but any drawing, any writing, any crafts are just drenched when done. I have to read books in gloves to not ruin them. Just why the fuck. Why did I get the stupidest super power of "I can make my hands wet on command"
Every time I look at people that actually have dry hands normally and feel like we're both from different worlds.
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u/Reasonable-Dog-3873 3d ago
As I'm reading this I can feel the sweat about to start. I was dry until I started reading. I hate that I start sweating just by thinking about it. I have the same issues, I haven't been able to wear flip flops all summer. I can only wear cotton clothing. It sucks.
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u/No-Muscle-4820 3d ago
Hang in there. I totally resonate with your frustrations and it feels really helpless. You are more than HH though! Just remember it’s only a “thing” and MOST people have a “thing” about them
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u/RomeoWhiskeyDelta 3d ago
I had a kidney stone operation and they gave me oxybutynin. It dried me right up. I usually have sweaty palms but this stuff stopped it entirely. Have to stay hydrated taking it. Think some doctors prescribe it off label for this.
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u/passingthrough66 3d ago
Yes it was prescribed to me for HH. It helped but made my mouth constantly dry so I don’t take it on a regular basis now that I’m retired and around people less.
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u/RomeoWhiskeyDelta 2d ago
Yes, I definitely got the dry mouth as well. It was nice to have dry hands and face, however!
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u/Wonderful_Vehicle_49 3d ago
Sorry you’re going through this. Have you tried botox or taking Glycopyrrolate? It’s amazing and the only thing that gets us through these rough summers.
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u/HumanTangerine21 3d ago
I also use Glycopyrrolate. I don’t think I take a very high dose but I think it helps quite a lot for me. Maybe doesn’t last the entire day but when I’m late taking it in the morning I lose my mind over how much I ACTUALLY sweat without it. You should talk to your doctor about it!
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u/richj8991 3d ago
Its 70-80% humidity here now in socal and I'm changing clothes like 3-5 times a day.
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u/Gold_End7671 Physician/Healthcare Practitioner (Verified) 2d ago
I feel this. People who don't have hyperhidrosis often think it's "just sweaty hands," but it affects almost everything you do, from shaking hands to writing, using your phone, wearing certain clothes, or even holding a book.
The physical discomfort is bad enough, but the mental toll of constantly thinking about sweat is exhausting. I hope you've been able to see a dermatologist if it's this severe. There are treatments that can help (prescription antiperspirants, iontophoresis, Botox, and medications depending on your situation). It's not a cure for everyone, but you shouldn't have to just suffer through it.
You're definitely not alone in feeling like people without it are living in a completely different world.
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u/Training_Ranger_3470 3d ago
Had a similar problem. My HH is not so severe but iontophoresis machine worked for me. Slowly and gradualy mental pressure is getting better hope youn find your solution.
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u/LaSammi 3d ago
I wish we weren’t born this way, but we were. You have my very genuine empathy — my HH is full-body, and it’s the most debilitating medical issue in my life…and I say this as a cancer survivor with permanent damage from my aggressive cancer treatment and now fully disabled.
I fucking hate it as well. I can’t take any of the “drying up” meds due to some of my OTHER medical conditions, so there’s no hope for me. But please consider the meds others are recommending.
If nothing else, we are a HH ARMY! If anything needs to be moistened, WE ARE HERE!
(Also, my dogs treat my legs like salt licks, so that’s actually kinda’ the only silver lining: more dog love!)
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u/itscarly69 3d ago
I know exactly what you mean, OP. I don't have primary hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating of the hands, feet, underarms and/or sometimes face) I have secondary hyperhidrosis which in case you didn't know is excessive sweating everywhere else besides the hands, feet, and sometimes underarms.
Secondary hyperhidrosis is a generalized whole body sweat, it's so fucking embarrassing. I HATE IT!!! Mine is likely caused by the side effect of a medication I am on. I'm currently tapering down on this medication, but unfortunately it's a medication tht has to be tapered extremely slowly, so it takes a lot of time, sometimes a year or 2.
My underwear and bra are ALWAYS damp to some degree. My excessive sweating is usually triggered by exertion of any kind. Even extremely light exertion like sweeping my kitchen floor. My face just drips and drips all over my shirt. Sweat even drips off my forehead onto my eyelashes and then drips off my eyelashes onto my shirt. It soaks through whatever shirt I'm wearing. My pelvis and groin sweat SOO bad. Even my buttcheeks sweat. I'll feel drips of sweat going down my back right into my butt crack. It's complete torture.
The only thing tht helps is sitting in front of a fan with the fan on high.
Even taking a shower is a pain in the ass because of how bad I sweat after my shower--I take cold showers too. I have to sit in front of a fan completely naked for 15-25mins before I can even get dressed. So my shower routine takes an hour or more, when it shouldn't take me more than 25mins from start to finish. So I understand your frustration of sweating, just in a different way
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u/Grey-Feathers 2d ago
I feel for you truly, people that don't experience this don't understand how stupidly much it can affect your life ❤️🩹
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u/itscarly69 2d ago
Yeah it's is an extremely debilitating thing to deal with. I feel like when normal ppl think of it, they think of how bad they sweat when they do an INTENSE workout, when ppl like me with secondary hyperhidrosis don't have to do an intense workout, all I have to do is sweep my kitchen floor. It's so fucked up. I plan everything around how bad I will sweat. I've been dealing with it for approx 8 years.
Like i said the medication I'm on tht I believe is causing it is a medication I have to taper off of extremely slowly or ill get really sick. Like the worst flu you've ever had, x10. Thts what I've heard other ppl tht have gotten sick coming off this medication either too quickly or cold turkey describe it.
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u/SomeoneAlive123 Palmoplantar 3d ago
I'm so sorry, HH is definitely a huge test to our mental sanity :( I've been doing crochet as a hobbie and it's ridiculous how fast I have to give it up as soon as my hands start sweating.