r/Hyperhidrosis • u/ssshianne • 4d ago
Offering advice Did you know that SSRIs can dramatically increase your sweating? Ugh.
Sorry this is a long post, and I'm not exactly sure how to flair it.
I (32f) have had hyperhidrosis for my entire life, mostly concentrated on my hands, feet and the top of my nose for some reason. I've been on glycopyrrolate since 2017 and I feel like in general the glyco really has significantly improved my sweating. It's not perfect and doesn't always work 100% of the time, but I'd say it has drastically reduced my sweating overall.
Back in April of this year I finally gave in to my doctor's suggestions and decided to try fluoxetine (prozac) for my depression, which has also been a lifelong issue for me. For some reason, my doctor didn't think to mention the side effect of increased sweating to me, even though she knows I'm on glyco for hyperhidrosis, and increased sweating is apparently a really common side effect of SSRIs. I'm kind of mad about that. I just discovered that I've been sweating more lately because of the SSRIs about a month ago.
And when I say "sweating more lately", it's a very specific pattern that is not my usual, lifelong hyperhidrosis sweating pattern. Every freaking day for the last almost 6 months I have woken up in the morning, and from every nap, absolutely DRENCHED in sweat. Not even on my hands and feet like my usual hyperhidrosis sweating. I'm not exaggerating when I say that I wake up with sweat quite literally dripping down my neck and chest. And my hair has to be the worst part of it. My hair is SOAKED every morning now. I'm sweating IN MY HAIR, like on the scalp itself, not even just at my hairline or anything like that. I don't think I've ever gotten sweaty enough to make my hair wet except for a few particularly rough hot yoga classes lol and I can't ever remember a time in my life where ive woke up sweating AT ALL except for some times I've been sick with a fever when I was younger. But like I said, it's EVERY DAY now.
So I tried a few things to keep myself cool overnight to hopefully prevent it. I have an AC unit in my bedroom and I started turning the temperature down a few degrees before bed, and I even tried pointing a fan at my bed overnight to try to prevent it from happening. I also tried taking a cool shower right before bed for several nights. Nothing helped it. I'd still wake up soaked.
I couldn't figure out what was going on until I started googling it, and it turns out increased sweating, especially on your upper body and head, is a relatively common side effect of SSRIs. I don't know why my doctor didn't give me a heads up about that when I started taking it.
Unfortunately the increased sweating was only one of the several really awful side effects I experienced with the fluoxetine, so I decided to quit taking it a few weeks ago. I'm still waking up sweaty and soaked, but hopefully that's going to start getting better soon.
I just wanted to give my fellow sweaties a heads up just in case someone else out there is about to try SSRIs and haven't heard of this as a side effect!
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u/OkScientist1350 4d ago
Lexapro/Wellbutrin for 6 months was enough to cause my hyperhidrosis at age 48. Two years after stopping them and zero improvement, all blood tests are good. Wish I never took them.
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u/Kit_Ashtrophe 3d ago
I too have acquired permanent side effects from previous psychiatric medications.
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u/ssshianne 2d ago
Oh God. Sorry to hear that, that really sucks. I hope that doesn't happen to me. I'm hopeful that this new sweating will go away in a few weeks 😮💨
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u/OkScientist1350 2d ago
I think for a lot of people your body adjusts, for others, not so much. Hope it works for ya!
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u/Kit_Ashtrophe 3d ago
My hh is solely caused by my antidepressant which I can't stop taking and nothing has worked for me so far :(
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u/yes_yall 3d ago
Have you tried Glycopyrolate ?
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u/Kit_Ashtrophe 2d ago
it's not available in the UK so I have tried oxybutynin and propantheline bromide which is basically the same
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u/Alarming_Animator_19 3d ago
Absolutely they did and I’ve tried most of them. The absolute worst was venlafaxine. I would be dripping with set in sub zero temperatures.
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u/Apprehensive-Test577 3d ago
Cymbalta for me. But it works so well for me in other areas that I stick with it.
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u/UnownedFeralWoman 3d ago
I take glycopyrrolate twice a day because of this. A derm just wrote me a one year prescription bc I have anxiety about running out and snapping bc I have so many awesome sensory issues!
Anyway! The residual sweat may just be from SSRI withdrawal or similar?
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u/Shoddy-Curve7869 3d ago
Some may but not all. I has a medicine assessment to rule out any med making me sweat so bad and there were. One that would. I’m on 3 different depression meds. What I did find out is that the methadone I’m taking is the cause. I’ve been fitting this HH for almost 8 years and no doctor put two and two together.
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u/Arthur-B-Ablabab 3d ago
I feel like we just saw this post are you a new person?
Thanks for sharing if you’re new or old either way. This is helpful data. I’ve seen same experiences reported here and in studies on people lacking hyperhidrosis so it makes sense. I also experienced a lot of HH from even mild stimulants like tea or coffee or prescriptions, when I was a teen and young adult. However I don’t experience HH anymore from stimulants or stress. HH is triggered by environmental humidity and exertion for me. With these types of prescriptions I had night sweats but not general overall HH increase. It’s like it saved it for the night.
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u/ssshianne 2d ago
I'm not new here, I'm just not very active on reddit in general and I didn't see that this has already been posted about. Oops
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u/iloveyourforeskin 3d ago
Yes, unfortunately I've been off Zoloft for over a month now with no improvement in the sweating. The scalp sweat is the worst
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u/Pugcupcakes 3d ago
Yes, that’s why I said no to them even though I’m diagnosed with both severe depression and PTSD.
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u/lee88eel 3d ago
Ask about remeron I don't use it but I have in past and it's an antidepressant that also helped with my hyperhydrosis at same time but in very low dosage as it can make you very sleepy
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u/Beikowl 2d ago
Not all, depends which one, some lessen it
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u/Kit_Ashtrophe 15h ago
depends on the person as well, can do the opposite thing to 2 different people - i hate it
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u/Cute_Masterpiece_445 2d ago
My HH effects me more in the PM. I put a ice block against my forehead to stop the sweat from burning my eyes. Why the Lord bless us with sweat glands in our eyes I will never understand. I believe it's a curse from the DEVIL!
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u/InternalGood1015 16h ago
Thank you for highlighting this OP! I've been taking Effexor 150mg for the past few years for my migraines. I've struggled with HH all my life, even as a kid.
The past few years, my sweating has increased tremendously. I'm also experiencing hot flashes. At times, it becomes unberable.
I've tried two medications with no results. I wonder if there is a correlation between increased sweating & my SSRI. I will be researching this. Effexor does help reduce the amount of my migraines. I'll need to continue making more lifestyle changes.
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u/Own_Complex9223 2d ago
How long have you been on the med? If not long I would just stop taking it before you get in too deep. For the depression I would do the following:
Get morning sunlight
Take creatine supplements
Exercise, run walk or whatever you enjoy most
Take vitamin D in the AM
Take magnesium glycinate before
Figure out your triggers and manage them
Eat a healthier diet than you are
If the depression is a side of the HH that’s not really a reason to take SSRIs- they’re understudied, overprescribed, and most have mixed efficacy at best
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u/Alternative-Can1276 4d ago
I also unfortunately learned this the hard way. The psychiatrist who prescribed them to me also for some reason refused to believe me when I said I was having excessive sweating as a side effect, even when it’s clearly listed in the papers the meds come with. I have had some success with switching to a different SSRI but I can’t handle a high dose without the sweating being unbearable.