Running out of Drionic batteries

HHH

HHH

Member
Hi,
Thanks a lot for sharing personal experience, giving useful info and also taking every effort to solve problems of fellow sufferers. Being a palmar HH sufferer since childhood I’ve never been able to cope with it. Imagine what an embarrassment it is (for both parties), when someone holds a hand that is cold, clammy and at times dripping. Needless to say that handshake is my worst nightmare. So I tend to avoid social gatherings – miss out quite a lot of opportunities in life due to this distressing condition.

I’m 23 now and my palmar HH has worsened over the last 4-5 years. Perhaps it’s because I worry too much about my clammy hands which makes me anxious. This creates a vicious cycle and my hands sweat more and more until they virtually drip. I’ve tried most of the topical treatments available. Aluminium chloride solutions (eg: Driclor) are not at all effective for me. 4% or 5% formaldehyde solution when applied for 3-4 consecutive days reduce the sweat production significantly (also delays the onset of sweating) but I don’t use it because it is no more prescribed by dermatologists. It has a lot of side effects which clearly out weigh the benefit. Oral anticholinergic drugs (eg: Pro-Banthine) provide some relief for a few hours but not effective as a long term treatment. For some unknown reason I start to sweat more if taken continuously for about 2-3 weeks.

I tried iontophoresis using Drionic about 6 months ago. I followed the manufacturer’s guidelines for treatment. I was totally disappointed after 7 days of treatment (two ½ an hour treatments daily) because my sweating became worse. I gave it up thinking that I belong to the small percentage of people for whom iontophoresis is not helpful. Thanks again, folks – after reading numerous forums I realized that response to treatment varies markedly between individuals – some respond in less than 7 hrs while the other extreme of people need about 14 hrs of total treatment. Ms.Carolyn in her drionic modification site has mentioned that she needed 14 hrs to achieve sweat-free state initially and 1 hr weekly treatment for maintenance.
Boosted, I started iontophoresis again. Up to now I’ve done 10 hrs of treatment (both hands at the same time) over the last 8 days. Unlike during my first attempt, I’m using maximum current. I’m beginning to see some reduction and I’m confident that with another 4-5 treatments I’ll achieve the state that I have dreamt for the last 15 years. Even the manufacturers claim that sweat reduction is sudden and not gradual (so there should be multiple mechanisms by which tap water iontophoresis act. If it is via blocking the sweat ducts by keratin plugs, the sweat reduction should be gradual, am I right?)

Now the problem is I’ve already used up 2 sets of batteries and got just one set remaining. The site on drionic modifications gives in detail the method to convert the device to accept A/C but I need to know how many of you have actually converted your drionic device to accept A/C. The device consumes roughly 20mA but the output from the transformer to the device would be around 300mA - so won’t this extra current heat-up the device circuit? Will conversion to A/C have an effect on durability of Drionic?
Has anyone tried using standard 9V batteries? Can 9V batteries (rechargeable/non-re) be used without modifying anything on the circuit? I need your help to solve this issue. The proprietary batteries are quite expensive and are not available elsewhere.
 
gummybear00

gummybear00

Member
Hi,

I also have the Drionic. Can you elaborate more on what tests you have done on the electrical components of the Drionic? How did you measure the current?

There are modifications to an A/C power supply or batteries but I think the battery modification is the easiest. All you have to do is make the two electrodes touch the two electrodes on the battery. The Drionic's battery is made so it's large and fits, but to make it fit on a 9V you would only have to use connector wires or bend the leads so they touch.

As for batteries, I've used the Drionic on max setting and a battery lasts at least 10 hours on max, unless they gave you partially used batteries.

Always use the Drionic on max setting to get the best results. If you can, do 1 hour treatments instead of two 30 minute ones. Also, try to reverse the positions of your hands every other treatment or so. One position has the palm on the upper well, the reverse has the palm in the water and fingers on the upper well. The reverse position will hurt your fingers so try to increase the area that is touching the electrode. More area = less current through a specific area.

I've also found that using CertainDri, an over the counter aluminum chloride solution (15% I think), helps while you're doing iontophoresis. Use plastic food wrap (aka saran wrap) and wrap it around your hands after you apply it. Do this before you sleep.

Sweat will suddenly stop after you've done enough treatments, all iontophoresis manufacturers say this. You need to keep doing it until it stops. This may take longer depending on the individual.

If you can afford it, look for a better iontophoresis machine to buy. The more professional ones cost around ~650 USD.
 
HHH

HHH

Member
Hey thanks for the reply, Gummybear. The two sets of proprietary LG batteries lasted about 8hrs on max. current. I didnt experiment with the electrical components of Drionic. I feared that I might end up ruining the unit 'coz my electrical/electronic knowledge is close to zero. I read a web site which describes the conversion to accept A/C ( the site also mentioned that the device takes up roughly 20-30mA), so I wanted to know how many have actually done it successfully. I agree with you, battery modification is the easiest. Do all standard 9V batteries supply the same amount of current to the unit's circuit? Do you use standard 9V batteries – how long do they last?

Now i've finished a total of 14hrs of treatment for both hands. I used max. current and as you said the reversed position hurts the tips of the fingers so at times when it's no more tolerable I used to reduce the settings. I'm very very happy with the results so far! There is about 80% reduction in sweating – which is what i had really hoped to achieve when starting iontophoresis 2 weeks ago. The back of my fingers (just beneath the nails) which used to sweat profusely, are now 100% dry. Only the palms are sweating now. I needn't worry about being noticed in public anymore – 'coz i can always hide the palmar side of my hands. Also, I notice that the rate of sweating has gone down markedly as well. The palms are moist now, but they are not dripping. I've planned to do another 4hr treatments at max. current & then follow the maintenance treatment – about two 1hr sessions weekly.
Very Interesting, I didn't think of that combined treatment before. Since my HH has become less profuse now, the topical Al. chloride will help to achieve the sweat-free state plus reduce the no. of maintenance treatments required. I'll apply it tonight.
 
Slapper78

Slapper78

New member
Drionic

You need to be very careful about turning the Drionic unit up to maximum. My daughter is very bothered by sweaty palms. We bought the unit after being advised by a dermotologist. After the first treatment, she wasn't satisfied with how it worked. The second nite, she asked me to turn it up. The room went black on her, and she passed out. She went limp and I needed help from her Dad to keep her from hitting the ground. Unfortunately, I was the one who turned it up, but at least was by her side when she needed help. After contacting the Doctors with Drionic, we realized that it is a process of working up to the electric charge that you need to correct the problem, not going full blast right from the beginning. It does work, but you have to be patient. She still uses the unit as needed....
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top