Hyperhidrosis Severity Scale.

[surfsider]

So i know there are a lot of us out there who worry about sweating. I worry about or think about sweaty palms alot. For me my palms don't really sweat that much now that I treat them with hydrosal gel every night, but when I write during school my thumb and fingers will get sweaty and this makes me mad.

I am wondering how do we know what severe and what mild hyperhidrosis is? This is purely subjective. My hands never drip. Does hyperhidrosis mean that your hands drip? Mine get sweaty specifically in class when writing a lot and in warmer temperatures / moments of high anxiety. I NEVER sweat when its cold. And I'm almost 22 now so does this get worse with age, or stay the same?

 

[bigchris]

My hands have never dripped, but at worst got very wet, even with medications the tips of my fingers still get moist which irritates me. I'm 16 and over the past 1-2 years it has got dramatically worse.

 

[hydroman123]

My hands never drip, but they are always moist and clammy. Its alot less (almost absent) in cold, less humid weather. Im 24 and the severity has been consistent since it started about ten years ago.

 

[k98_man]

One contest I wish I never won...

My hands drip sometimes, but only when it gets to a point that I'm thinking about it. In fact as I'm typing this they're relatively bad (I guess I'm thinking about it though...). It happens even when I'm cold and happens on feat, armpits, and hands. Severe case I would say...

 

[wethandsandfeet]

If I dont use Ionto, my hands drip. Does not have to be summer, even a heated room in peak winter can make them drip. I rate mine 9 or 10/10. Plantar HH is pretty bad too but I dont really care.

 

[qswet]

severity

I sweat like everybody else do including the winter. It doesn't matter if there's a snow storm out there, I sweat regardless of temperature. Its just as bad in the winter because my body would sweat and produce heat which is trapped inside my thick jacket/sweater. Heat build up causes me to sweat and soaked even more. I need to take of my jacket but then freeze up because of cold air + sweat liquid. The cycle repeats.......

I smoke weed and all severity reduces by 60%. I smoke weed everyday for this reason until I find a permanent cure.

P.S. I'm not a low life addict. I'm working toward my MBA and working full-time as an IT at a Boeing company. I smoke all day, everyday and it helps me finish what I need to do. I was a horrible student until I started smoking 4 years ago. I could finally free my mind and focus on what I need to do. I'm currently a 3.8GPA student and an excellent employee. I can't wait until I can cure this 100% so I can unleash all my potential.

 

[Mattyb918]

Without using Drysol Weekly Id say 9/10 but hard to say

With using drysol 2/10 hands 4/10 fingertips

Wish I could get rid of that 30-50% sweat in anxeity conditions. I need some sort of supplement to relax me so keep it low at all time.

 

[ysh]

My hands drip unless I wipe them off. My feet would drip as well if I don't wear socks. Using aluminium chloride can reduce the sweating to a level of no dripping, unless I am really stressed. The use of aluminium chloride can hold the sweat back in non stressful situations, but when I need it the most it doesn't help. I would rate my hands and feet 8/10.

Recently I have been doing iontophoresis and after about two weeks of daily treatments my hands and feet do not sweat at all. Not even in the most stressful situations. I have now been dry for nearly 4 weeks. Today I was at the swim school with my son, I was sitting fully clothed in this hot and humid environment wearing no socks. Didn't start sweating.

 

[Brightinfinity]

In the past: My hands used to sweat most of the time, except for when I was completely calm. They got to dripping when I was really nervous, and still sweated even in the cold.

Now (while using aluminum chloride): My hands are totally dry in the mornings and when I'm relatively calm, and usually don't sweat in the cold. They don't drip anymore, but they can get slightly damp a couple of hours after I wake up even after an aluminum chloride application. They still get pretty wet when I'm nervous

I'd say 9/10 without aluminum chloride, 6/10 with.

 

[BlushyJohn]

Since you have sweat in your feet and hands does your feet seemed reddish specially on ankles and toes?

 

[fitftw]

so one can't have hyperhidrosis unless his hands get sweaty? What if my forehead and back get soaked for no reason going to class and everyone else is dry?

 

[Brightinfinity]

so one can't have hyperhidrosis unless his hands get sweaty? What if my forehead and back get soaked for no reason going to class and everyone else is dry?

Hyperhidrosis is excessive sweating, it doesn't matter where. Most of us have palmar hyperhidrosis, but that doesn't mean it's the only type. It does sound like you have hyperhidrosis, fitftw. Congratulations

 

[equivocate]

I suffer worst with HH on my back and after a light fifteen minute walk to uni I'll be in a state where I leave puddles on my seats.

Only mildly less embarrassing than leaving puddles, was the few weeks I tried life modelling to try and defeat my social anxiety (which actually helped quite a lot). Standing there completely naked, while amazingly liberating and confidence building, is terrifying and the anxiety caused extreme armpit drip. The worst thing for me is the sweating caused by anxiety, rather than the sweat caused by exertion or temperature, it's just so difficult to get under control.

 

[Tinah]

Hi everyone.... I have had HH hands and feet for at least 30 something years. In warm weather, mixed with anxious moments, it would easily hit a 10 with dripping fingers or running down my arms. I have tried hypnotherapy but in my case no cure ..... I have also used the Iontophoresis machine which although made my hands quite sore, had an improvement so I bought a machine for myself. Unfortunately, after some time my body started to compensate and I began to sweat on my front, back, and even legs so I eventually decided to leave the machine and go back to just hands and feet as,for me, it was the lesser of the two evils.
BUT ! I have just recently found out that there is a drug called GABAPENTIN. It has many various uses, and can be used for Hyperhidrosis but that is not its official use.. I have asked my doctor for it and have been taking it for over a week so its early days but DRY HANDS!!I can't believe it, even typing this I would normally have pools of water on the keyboard but now dry as a bone. I have put myself in stressful situations, still no sweating. Now I know it may not work for everyone or may not even suit everyone but it may be an option for some on this site... As i said it is early days for me but I will keep you all posted as to how its working for me. Hugs to you all......

 

[Sprawling]

I take Gabapentin for fibromyalgia and it has NO effect on my hand sweating. Ionto helps me tremendously at temperatures below 90 degrees. Anything above activates my fingertip sweating. The full body sweating comes no matter what I do during the warmer months.

 

[Tinah]

Seems there are no rules to this HH it varies from person to person and so does the medications. Interesting how you mention Fibromyalgia though as my sister has it. The two are probably interlinked in some way. Geeez hope I don't end up with that too as I know she suffers a lot.

 

[Sprawling]

Tinah, Does you sister have HH. I've been trying to do some research to find the fibro/HH connection. I find it pretty cool that gabapentin helps with your HH. What dosage do you take?

 

[Tinah]

Hi sprawling,
My sister doesn't have HH but her son has pretty much all over HH and because it seems to have worked for me he has recently started taking Gabapentin too, so far with great results! I was started on 300mg per day taking 100mg 3 times per day then after about four days went onto 600 mg per day and now im on 900 mg per day taking 300 mg 3 times per day. and it is working perfectly. I have been suffering with this terrible condition for near on most of my life and i'm now in my forties. I feel that gabapentin is treating the cause while all other treatments centre on the symptoms which, FOR ME, didnt suit. I stress for me because like I said before we are all different and it may not suit others. but i'm having such a stress free time it's great. Obviously i'm on this treatment under a doctors supervision and wouldn't want anyone to just start taking this form of treatment without doing the same.

 

[pakistan]

The AC is in this room is damn chilly, yet the hand which is constantly on the mouse is frikking sweating all the time.

 

[wannabedry]

hi tinah! how did it turn out with the gabapentin? did it remain effective over time? im hoping to try it soon so im really curious about it, did it have to be taken with or without food? etc did it also help you feel relaxed/anxiety free?
THANK YOU