seekinghelp
Active member
Background: I am currently 22, and about 5~6 years ago, I sought treatment for my palmar HH for the first time. My doctor prescribed Drysol and some sort of anti-histamine. Both were ineffective. I assumed this was the way I am and I stopped treatments, not knowing the potential social effects it would have on my professional career down the road.
Today: I have visited a different dermatologist recently. He, too, prescribed Drysol and peri-actin (another anti-histamine). I told him that I've used these products before and were ineffective. Understandably, since he never treated me before, he wanted to go through his own process of helping patients with HH. If these two precriptions didn't work, then he said he would go straight to Botox because in his past experiences, ionto treatments were ineffective. I took these two medicines, during separate times, and I've noticed something VERY strange...
Why my HH is strange: The Drysol was fairly effective (I'm estimating 25% of my severe HH was reduced). However, the peri-actin was a little more effective by about 40%. Now, these reductions were when my HH was severe. My HH is most severe when I feel anxious about something and that could mean anything that I worry about. However, during the times I didn't worry about something, my hands were COMPLETELY DRY with the only exception is being in a cold room. Really cold environments, for whatever paradoxical reason, make me sweat.
Were these medications effective? Perhaps, but I believe they won't ever reach anything near 50+% reductions with my sweating. WHY? Because I truly, truly believe that my HH conditions are completely dependent (with the exception of cold rooms) on my anxiety levels. For instance, when I started typing this thread, my hands were dry. But as I continued to type, I became a little anxious--hoping that someone out there can relate to me and thus, the sweating started. During interviews, internally I can feel confident but just the smallest bit of anxiety will cause my hands to literally drip with sweat. Even sitting here, thinking about why my hands are not sweating causes me to start sweating.
So, all the medications and treatments out there maybe able to stop (albeit minimally) sweating physiologically. But in the end, I believe anxiety is the cause of my HH. It's the anxiety that I would have to treat, not the sweating. Does that make sense? (I do realize there are people who suffer from severe HH ALL the time. So regardless of cold rooms, interviews, anxiety, they simply sweat that much all the time. But in my case, the only times I do sweat excessively is when I feel anxious.)
Anyone out there feel the same?
Today: I have visited a different dermatologist recently. He, too, prescribed Drysol and peri-actin (another anti-histamine). I told him that I've used these products before and were ineffective. Understandably, since he never treated me before, he wanted to go through his own process of helping patients with HH. If these two precriptions didn't work, then he said he would go straight to Botox because in his past experiences, ionto treatments were ineffective. I took these two medicines, during separate times, and I've noticed something VERY strange...
Why my HH is strange: The Drysol was fairly effective (I'm estimating 25% of my severe HH was reduced). However, the peri-actin was a little more effective by about 40%. Now, these reductions were when my HH was severe. My HH is most severe when I feel anxious about something and that could mean anything that I worry about. However, during the times I didn't worry about something, my hands were COMPLETELY DRY with the only exception is being in a cold room. Really cold environments, for whatever paradoxical reason, make me sweat.
Were these medications effective? Perhaps, but I believe they won't ever reach anything near 50+% reductions with my sweating. WHY? Because I truly, truly believe that my HH conditions are completely dependent (with the exception of cold rooms) on my anxiety levels. For instance, when I started typing this thread, my hands were dry. But as I continued to type, I became a little anxious--hoping that someone out there can relate to me and thus, the sweating started. During interviews, internally I can feel confident but just the smallest bit of anxiety will cause my hands to literally drip with sweat. Even sitting here, thinking about why my hands are not sweating causes me to start sweating.
So, all the medications and treatments out there maybe able to stop (albeit minimally) sweating physiologically. But in the end, I believe anxiety is the cause of my HH. It's the anxiety that I would have to treat, not the sweating. Does that make sense? (I do realize there are people who suffer from severe HH ALL the time. So regardless of cold rooms, interviews, anxiety, they simply sweat that much all the time. But in my case, the only times I do sweat excessively is when I feel anxious.)
Anyone out there feel the same?