Before my ADD diagonosis four months ago, I had been diagnosed with OCD, GAD and depression. I started taking Concerta, in addition to the Lexapro and Klonopin I was taking for several years. I thought my very old sweating problem was going to be resolved once I "relaxed" by taking stimulants. Concerta has made a big difference as far as lifting the fog, allowing me to concentrate and even relaxing my mind.

I sweat very easily - just from having coffee or a hot meal. But I know it is from anxiety - I sweat when I join a group of people, when I talk to a professor or run into a friend. I have worn a heart rate monitor (even before stimulants) and my pulse is in the nineties when I'm sitting down, but outside my home. It goes to 120 or 130 if I'm walking.

If I'm home, it goes down to the low eighties, unless I am under stress. I am only confortable at 70-72 degrees or less (I sweat starting at 75). This was also the case before stimulants.

I take 100 mg of Toprol XL (a beta blocker) and will ask my cardiologist to possibly increase it- he did not like my idea of getting on Catapress and I even had to tell him that Concerta was methylphenidate, but since that did not help, I had to tell him it is "like" Ritalin.

My psychiatrist is mainly interested in talking about why I think I don't want to meet people, form a relationship and get a job. He says my ADD is taken care of by my Concerta, that I need to do psychotherapy for my "loner" preference. I think my psychiatrist does not want to mess with beta blockers/blood pressure meds (Catapress) because he knows I have a cardiologist. The latter seems to look at meds strictly from the point of view of a cardiologist. The point is that if I took care of my anxiety, it would probably be better for my moderate hypertension and also my overall cardiac health in the long run!

So I am asking you for ideas about how to handle the sweat/anxiety. You see, when I start sweating in front of people my anxiety increases so I sweat more , and so on.

Your practioneer may be correct that some psychotherapy is needed. I was just reading a study which said that meds alone were the most cost effective for ADHD alone, but that for ADHD with another disorder the most cost effective approach was a combination of medication and therapy.

Specifically, some cognitive or behavior modification therapy might be useful in dealing with the anxiety of public situations. There are methods to help you learn how to relax under stressful situations.

Scattered

Thanks, Scattered.

I definitely agree with you. One of my diagnoses is social anxiety disorder.
I need to find a therapist who takes my insurance, since my current psychiatrist does not - that's why I only see him every three months. I just wish we could do something with medicines while I do psychoterapy. I THINK I NEED BOTH!

I go to my current psychiatrist because I've been doing so on and off for about 15 years. Ten years ago, I told him I thought I had adult ADD and he gave me three pills of regular Ritalin to try. I told him they made me speedy (I did not know how to express it better) and that I liked it so he said I didn't have ADD. We never talked about it again.

Four months ago, however, he diagnosed me with ADD. I don't blame him for not recognizing it before - most of them didn't know better. But, with him, at least I'm sure he does not think I'm just "drug seeking" - a problem I believe I will have with docs who don't know me. However, I don't think he knows enough about ADD.

Any pharmacological (and other) suggestions for chronic anxiety/sweating as adjuntcs to psychotherapy? I just reat that some ADD people suffer from a light version of post traumatic stress sindrome!

OMG, SnappyCloud! I have the exact same problem with sweating! Only, I can sweat when it's below freezing outside. I once sweated through a t-shirt, a thin long-sleeved shirt, AND a THICK sweatshirt during the winter because of anxiety. I took anxiety meds before but they didn't help at all for the sweating. I can never just wear a t-shirt, unless I'm careful to wear a color that won't show the sweat. And just like you said, the sweating makes me more anxious, which causes me to sweat more. It's soooo embarrassing. At my next regular doctor's appt. in November, I'm going to bring it up to my doctor again. I brought it up over a year ago, and she suggested I try using the deodorant Degree, but alas, it did nothing.

I have a hard time donating plasma because my pulse runs high. The highest they will let it be is 100, and mine is often over that, even when I'm at rest. Sometimes, though, when I'm home, it will go down to the 80s. Anxiety meds did nothing either to help my pulse.

Anyway, I've researched this sweating in the past and it's called hyperhydrosis. I know in extreme cases, they will remove the sweat glands. I am THAT desperate and I would LOVE to have that done. Do the cardiac meds you're taking help with the sweating at all?

as a psychologist friend of mine told me: 'first the thought, then the emotion'. i guess in your case: 'first the thought, then the sweating'.

illustration: when i was a teenager i thought i had a big nose. actually i don't but i thought (first the thought?) i did. so whenever i'd go outside and the weather wasn't 100% warm and the air wasn't 100% still what would happen? my nose would turn totally red! yeah. believe it. white face. red nose. all of which made things even worse! i don't know how on earth this can happen but it did.

here i am, many many years later, and i have come to terms with the fact that i do not actually have a big nose. i've realized that for at least 2 decades. does my nose get red anymore. not often. sure when it's blowing a gale and the chill factor is below freezing. but otherwise? nope. i have no idea whatsoever how the body can do these things but it can. i guess if we can control our heartrates (which we can truly do, just do some meditation classes and breathing control, anxiety control stuff) then i guess we can control a lot of stuff.

we need to learn that we can govern our minds. our minds should not govern us. once we govern our minds we can govern our bodies as well. i think that's what Buddhist philosophy teaches: we are supposed to be in charge of ourselves.

not easy. not easy at all.

......just thoughts.....

LittleD- Thanks. Beta blockers, like the one I'm taking (Toprol) help. I think I need a higher dose or a different medicine. As far as sweat gland surgery is concerned, they would have to remove sweat glands from all my body. Thia is how I sweat in order of prominence: Head-scalp, forehead; Chest and abdomen.

solitary bee - I have a heart rate monotor and have tried to learn how to slow down my pulse. I can do it to some degree using the monitor for biofeedback on my own. The problem is that in a real life stressful situation I cannot get myself to even try to slow down my pulse - I choose other priorities! I will start wearing my hear rate monitor again and continue trying. Your idea of using meditation is great. One day I took a yoga class and had to leave before it was over due to excessive sweating due to anxiety combined with physical exercise- never went back. I will also try "controlling" my thoughts - thanks!

Yeah, my sweating is like this: armpits, head/scalp, forehead, neck, back and abdomen, and then arms and legs, and everywhere else...so pretty similar. I wear a sweatband on my wrist to continually wipe the sweat from my face. I was walking when it was in the 70s and I wiped my forehead and then counted before I had to wipe it again (until it was soaking wet again)...it was about 20 seconds. Not long at all. I'll have to talk to my doc about beta blockers. Thanks!