A Bit of Relief

[Cope]

Hey guys, I'm 17 and have been suffering from HH since I was about 12 or 13; I'm mainly affected all over my head and face. As horrible as it sounds it's such a relief to hear that there are people in the same situation as me...I've seen a lot of posts by people online who complain about "sweating so much while they work out", or just sweating a bit more than normal.

This is the first site that I've seen where people's lives are drastically affected because of their condition. I've been forced to take all of my schooling online this semester; the floor that my classes were on is so unbearably hot that my pages would literally disintegrate due to the sweat dripping off my forehead. I had to quit my previous job (cashier at a local grocery store) because the touch screen I had to use wouldn't even register because it was so wet. People complained that it was unsanitary to have a person like that around their food.

Anyways, I've finally decided that I need to be a bit more proactive with this...I searched for solutions when this first started but nothing seemed to work. I'm getting tired of having to plan my life around weather conditions or temperatures. I'm extremely confident in myself, but as soon as I start sweating that all but disappears. My relationships with people are crumbling; whenever I find myself in a sticky situation I panic and get detached. It's not interacting with people that starts the sweating, but once I start I get extremely self-concious, which causes me to sweat even more. It's a vicious cycle.

I'm going to a cultural event this coming weekend that's going to be huge; it's basically like a wedding for my friend who's turning 18. I'm a part of the "wedding party", and am going to have to dance with her for a bit in front of 100's of people. I'm definitely not looking forward to that....not to mention that my highschool graduation is in June. I get so excited for things like these, but feel so apprehensive at the same time. I can't help but wonder what my life would be like if my life was "normal". I'm sure you all know what I mean. I realize that it could be a lot worse - at least I don't have cancer or something like that. But still...it sucks.

Currently my doctor has me on clonidine (which is actually a drug for menopausal women), and I started using Drysol last night. The clonidine helps a tiny bit, but the difference is minimal. I'm hoping the Drysol will work well enough to allow me to have a good time this weekend...if not then at least I don't mind the sweating as much when I've been drinking. I had never heard of Avert before last night, so I'll definitely be looking into that. I'm determined to find a solution that'll allow me to have a great grad night without any worries. I just want you all to know that I feel for you; I know what you're going through and I wish you all the best in finding a cure.

 

[margiehope]

Hi Cope, and welcome. We've all had the feeling of relief you're talking about--discovering many others who know how we feel.

I don't know where you live, but Avert is a brand name only in Canada. The actual drug is glycopyrrolate, and the American brand name is Robinul.

I'm a fan--it's made my life much more bearable--but everybody reacts differently.

I hope your weekend goes well--let us know.

 

[Cope]

Hi Cope, and welcome. We've all had the feeling of relief you're talking about--discovering many others who know how we feel.

I don't know where you live, but Avert is a brand name only in Canada. The actual drug is glycopyrrolate, and the American brand name is Robinul.

I'm a fan--it's made my life much more bearable--but everybody reacts differently.

I hope your weekend goes well--let us know.

Ah, thanks for clearing that up. I'm in Canada so it's Avert for me. I've heard that some of the treatments for HH are a bit harder to obtain in the States, so I guess I'm lucky.

 

[mattbarneswillkillu]

Whats up Cope, I have the facial HH like you and Avert works wonders. I have an interview 2morro and i'm very very confident knowing i'll be dry off of 4mgs of Avert. Also I recommend "dry mouth relief" by Colgate....Avert will give you dry mouth and that product will take it right away. GL w/ everything and welcome 2 SPW

 

[ohheybbyitscorixx]

I don't have the facial sweating but oh my god do I have it everywhere else. I've twisted my ankle so many times because my feet were THAT sweaty that my shoes would slip around. I can literally feel the beads of sweat dripping from my armpits all of the time. My groin sweating just plain makes me self conscious...and my hand sweating will literally tear papers apart because it gets so damp. No one really understands it but my sister who has the same thing. It's not even the embarrassment so much anymore as just the plain extra anxiety it causes from being wet and cold all of the time. I'm glad you know you aren't alone. Let us know how your current solutions work for you.

 

[margiehope]

Hey Matt, didn't know about that mouthwash. I use several Biotene products--they have toothpaste, mouthwash and a tube of gel you could carry with you.

The mouthwash is fairly pricy though, so I'll check out the Colgate.

Cheers!

 

[mattbarneswillkillu]

Yeah Margie, I stumbled across the Colgate Dry Mouth Relief at a local discount store for $4 and it works pretty well. The link below is what it looks like...i'm glad i didn't pay the $10 their asking for.

Colgate Dry Mouth Relief Fluoride Mouthwash | Walgreens

 

[Cope]

Just thought I'd let everyone know how the weekend went.

The Drysol definitely helps; I didn't notice much of a difference at first, but after 3 or 4 nights of application, there was an obvious improvement, at least in cool environments. My underarms were completely dry, and my forehead was only speckled with little drops...nothing like how my sweating usually is.

The weird thing was that I felt like I was sweating A LOT, but you couldn't even see it if you weren't looking up close. I still felt pretty uncomfortable, though. I'm guessing that this has something to do with how Drysol works; doesn't it block your sweat glands, rather than actually eliminate the production of sweat?

Unfortunately for my event, the difference wasn't enough. I was wearing a suit and the venue was pretty warm and stuffy, so I started sweating almost immediately. Usually after a couple of drinks the sweating doesn't bother me quite as much, but sadly they weren't served until after all of the dinner and dances were over.

That's when everybody hit the dance floor. Usually I just find somebody to talk to rather than dance and get all sweaty, but that's not really an option when literally every single person is dancing lol. The cool thing was that I befriended a guy who sweat a lot too, so we'd take trips to the bathroom to cool off together haha. After a while, pretty much everyone was drunk and even the "normal people" were covered in sweat, so I didn't care quite as much. Even so, I just didn't feel "fresh" for the rest of the night; I'm sure you all know what I'm talking about.

Anyways, I'm definitely going to look into glycopyyrolate, as I'd really like to be able to use it for my grad. I know that you're not supposed to work out or anything on it, but has anybody had any problems with dancing for a bit while taking it? Preferably while drinking alcohol? I'd really like to be able to but obviously I'd sacrifice the dancing if it meant not sweating lol. Thanks.

 

[Mozart22]

Just thought I'd let everyone know how the weekend went.

The Drysol definitely helps; I didn't notice much of a difference at first, but after 3 or 4 nights of application, there was an obvious improvement, at least in cool environments. My underarms were completely dry, and my forehead was only speckled with little drops...nothing like how my sweating usually is.

The weird thing was that I felt like I was sweating A LOT, but you couldn't even see it if you weren't looking up close. I still felt pretty uncomfortable, though. I'm guessing that this has something to do with how Drysol works; doesn't it block your sweat glands, rather than actually eliminate the production of sweat?

Unfortunately for my event, the difference wasn't enough. I was wearing a suit and the venue was pretty warm and stuffy, so I started sweating almost immediately. Usually after a couple of drinks the sweating doesn't bother me quite as much, but sadly they weren't served until after all of the dinner and dances were over.

That's when everybody hit the dance floor. Usually I just find somebody to talk to rather than dance and get all sweaty, but that's not really an option when literally every single person is dancing lol. The cool thing was that I befriended a guy who sweat a lot too, so we'd take trips to the bathroom to cool off together haha. After a while, pretty much everyone was drunk and even the "normal people" were covered in sweat, so I didn't care quite as much. Even so, I just didn't feel "fresh" for the rest of the night; I'm sure you all know what I'm talking about.

Anyways, I'm definitely going to look into glycopyyrolate, as I'd really like to be able to use it for my grad. I know that you're not supposed to work out or anything on it, but has anybody had any problems with dancing for a bit while taking it? Preferably while drinking alcohol? I'd really like to be able to but obviously I'd sacrifice the dancing if it meant not sweating lol. Thanks.

Yes try Avert, 4 mg. But you MUST take it on an empty stomach.
For me my stomach has to be totally empty... no food for 4 hours, then I take the Avert, then wait 2 and a half hours before eating again. Anything other than that reduces the effectiveness for me.

By the way I have tried drinking while taking Avert and for some reason it does not allow me to get drunk. Normally 6 or 7 shots of hard rum gets me drunk, but if I took Avert that day I simply cannot get drunk, it's weird. I avoid drinking large quantities of alcohol usually so it's not a problem for me.
Better dry and sober than drunk and sweaty.

 

[Mozart22]

Yeah Margie, I stumbled across the Colgate Dry Mouth Relief at a local discount store for $4 and it works pretty well. The link below is what it looks like...i'm glad i didn't pay the $10 their asking for.

Colgate*Dry Mouth Relief Fluoride Mouthwash | Walgreens

I have a presentation tomorrow. I suffer from social anxiety and hyperhidrosis so I'm gonna be very nervous and very sweaty. What sucks is that for this presentation I cannot take any Avert, because the presentation is 20 minutes long and if I took Avert I would not be able to finish it due to the dry mouth and throat.

In the past I have taken Avert before giving 5 or 10 minute presentations. The good news is that I stayed totally dry, no sweat. The bad news is that I just barely was able to finish the presentation. I had to take several sips of water and just barely made it before by tongue and throat were bone dry.

So for this 20 minute presentation I have no choice but to skip Avert and just sweat a lot because I know from past experiences that by the 10th minute I would be barely about to speak and by the 15 minute I would have to just stop talking completely. Sipping water only helps so much until my throat and mouth get so dry that I literally cannot talk.

Like Margiehope I tried the Biotene gel, it was kinda sorta ok for me, did not help greatly. It certainly did not stop my mouth from getting bone dry after talking for 10 minutes. I'm going to dry this Colgate mouthwash one day in the future, though I honestly doubt it would help me. If Biotene just barely helped for me I don't think the Colgate would have any magic ingredient that would work wonders for me. But I'll try it nonetheless one day when I have the time and opportunity.

Until then I must go and give my sweaty 20 minute presentation tomorrow
If it wasn't so long I would definitely take Avert but I'm required to talk for 20 minutes then answer questions too!

 

[Cope]

Yes try Avert, 4 mg. But you MUST take it on an empty stomach.
For me my stomach has to be totally empty... no food for 4 hours, then I take the Avert, then wait 2 and a half hours before eating again. Anything other than that reduces the effectiveness for me.

By the way I have tried drinking while taking Avert and for some reason it does not allow me to get drunk. Normally 6 or 7 shots of hard rum gets me drunk, but if I took Avert that day I simply cannot get drunk, it's weird. I avoid drinking large quantities of alcohol usually so it's not a problem for me.
Better dry and sober than drunk and sweaty.

Thanks for the reply. I actually read your post about your first success with Avert earlier; that's some really inspiring stuff man. To a "normal person" it'd sound weird but I definitely understood how you just wanted to walk around the supermarket haha.

I'm the same way as you in that I can be alone and just drenched in sweat, so hopefully I see the same results. This all has me so excited...honestly if I was completely dry I'd be on such a high and so confident that I wouldn't even need to drink. I usually only have a couple drinks anyways so I'm glad to hear that you were fine. WOW I can't wait to go to the doctor haha!

 

[Mozart22]

Thanks for the reply. I actually read your post about your first success with Avert earlier; that's some really inspiring stuff man. To a "normal person" it'd sound weird but I definitely understood how you just wanted to walk around the supermarket haha.

I'm the same way as you in that I can be alone and just drenched in sweat, so hopefully I see the same results. This all has me so excited...honestly if I was completely dry I'd be on such a high and so confident that I wouldn't even need to drink. I usually only have a couple drinks anyways so I'm glad to hear that you were fine. WOW I can't wait to go to the doctor haha!

If you take 4mg on a completely empty stomach then wait 2 hours before eating again, you WILL be bone dry. That means no sweat but also means a very dry mouth and throat! Oh and by the way... it takes about 3 hours for Avert to kick in. If you need it to work at 2PM you need to take
it at 11 AM. Once it kicks in, it lasts 6 to 7 hours. So if it kicks in at 2 pm but 9pm the effect will be gone

 

[Cope]

Well, I just picked up my prescription...apparently nobody carries Avert in my city so the pharmacy needed to make their own glycopyrrolate capsules. For now my doctor only prescribed me 10 pills. I'm on some other medications right now, some of which are anticholinergic, so she said it's probably best to play it safe.

I figure it's probably best to save them for "special occasions". I have a final next week that's going to take a couple of hours so I'll probably try them then. I can't wait! I'll definitely keep you guys posted.

 

[margiehope]

Hi, Cope.
I'm assuming you picked up your pills at the standing store for pharmacy.ca?

They are the only place that makes Avert in Ontario. The government delisted it
(if you're trying to cheap out, it doesn't seem essential--only to us). So without that support, the big company who made it stopped. Thank heavens pharmacy.ca picked up the slack.
Anyway, wish you good luck!

 

[BertaNYC]

I have been suffering with craniofacial hyperhydrosis for nearly 10 years. It destroyed my life. Could not work, go out, etc etc. All me physician's just joked about staying in air conditioning. As an older woman I tried and was also prescribed; Black Cohosh, Neurontin, acupucture, Chinese herbs, Zloft, Effexor, Promensal and Valium at different times.
This condition is not related to anxiety levels. It just comes about, and is absolutely the most debilitating condition there is. And unless people have this condition there is no way whatsoever that anyone can understand it.
12 days ago I went to a dermatologist, and he put me on Glycopyrrolate just 1 mg. everyday. I see on this blog that people take much more of a dosage and I was concerned that 1 mg would not help. Well, it does, and this medication is a miracle for me. I already have a new live or should I say the life I had before hyperhydrosis.
Not one of my physician's knew about this "cruel" condition. If not for this blog I never would have known about hyperhydrosis. Thank you all so much and I hope that your outcome is as good as mine. I see the dermatologist again next week and can't wait to inform him of my great results.

 

[tinygirl.93]

I have facial sweating, on top of my head, and my thighs :/ Its soooo embarrassing.....
The doctors said the couldnt do anything? But im going to look into Avert, this thread was helpful thanks for posting it cope

 

[tinygirl.93]

Omg, im reading more posts, they stopped making Avert?? Does anyone know what the offer in AZ I hate going to the doctor and avoid it as much as possible unless I know wat im going to say and all cuz it seems once I get there I can never tell him wats really wrong and i pretend everythings fine with me, I just dont want to look silly, I wish I could be more confident

 

[Cope]

Hi, Cope.
I'm assuming you picked up your pills at the standing store for pharmacy.ca?

They are the only place that makes Avert in Ontario. The government delisted it
(if you're trying to cheap out, it doesn't seem essential--only to us). So without that support, the big company who made it stopped. Thank heavens pharmacy.ca picked up the slack.
Anyway, wish you good luck!

Ah, that makes sense. I'm from Alberta and the pills that I got from my pharmacy are just generic glycopyrrolate.

Those prices are high on pharmacy.ca! If you live in Canada I'd definitely check with your doctor or local pharmacy; my pills were 100% free.

Omg, im reading more posts, they stopped making Avert?? Does anyone know what the offer in AZ I hate going to the doctor and avoid it as much as possible unless I know wat im going to say and all cuz it seems once I get there I can never tell him wats really wrong and i pretend everythings fine with me, I just dont want to look silly, I wish I could be more confident

I'm not entirely positive...but I'm pretty sure the brand name is Robinul in the States. If not that then you can just ask your doctor about glycopyrrolate. Just tell your doctor that it's for excessive sweating and nothing else helps. It's not like it's a drug that can be abused, so they should have no problem prescribing it unless you're on other medications or something.

 

[BertaNYC]

Glycopyrrolate is the generic for the brand Robinul. I believe Avert is used in Canada.
It's a miracle drug for me as mentioned in my post above.

 

[margiehope]

No, they didn't stop making Avert. Avert is the brand name of the glyco that pharmacy.ca started making up after the original company stopped.

Yeah, Robinul is the brand name in the U.S. You might need a prescription--and it's probably smart to see a doctor in case there's any reason you shouldn't be taking it. (It can increase your heart rate, for instance.)

It's common to not be able to tell your doctor what's really wrong with you. I always make some notes--otherwise I can forget the most important thing. Just remember it's the doctor's job to help you.