Heavy Sweating, Weakness, Shaking, Dizziness. Help

Posted on Tue, 21 Aug 2012

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Tue, 21 Aug 2012 Answered on

Sat, 8 Sep 2012 Last reviewed on

Question : All of a sudden I started sweating heavily, dripping from my head and body. I was shaking and felt weak and dizzy. My friend came over as it was happening and he told me I looked terrible, as if I were about to pass out. He made me eat. I am beginning to feel better, but I am very tired now.

Answered by Dr. Rakesh Madhyastha (2 hours later)

Hello

Thanks for the query

I would like to know a few more things in order to help you better

1. What time of the day was this?
2. Did you have blurring of vision?
3. Did you pass urine and motion?
4. Was there any loss of consciousness ? Chest pain?
5. Are you on any medication? Please mention them all to me
6. Any fever?
7. Are you eating well? any stress?

Please get back to me, I am awaiting your reply

Regards

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Rakesh Madhyastha (3 hours later)

Thank you, Doctor.

It happened about 5:30pm. I had a headache. I didn't notice blurred vision. I did not pass urine. No loss of consciouss and no chest pain. I was weak and shaking. No medicine at all. No fever. I did not have a meal yet today until it happened. It is now 1:00am. I just woke up after very quickly falling asleep from the incident. I feel much better.

This has happened about 5 times in the past year and it is scary. It happens without warning. I had a physical less than 1 year ago and blood tests, etc. I was fine, clean XXXXXXX of health.

I would like to kow what happened, what this is called, and how I can prevent it.

Thank you again.

Answered by Dr. Rakesh Madhyastha (12 hours later)

Hello

Thanks for the detailed reply

There are quite a few possibilities as the presentation is atypical in nature. I will be listing them out in order of likelihood

1. Hypoglycemic episode

This explains the headache, sweating and feeling better once meals was given however what goes against the diagnosis is that your blood report was clean. I would like you to get a cortisol levels done to rule out decreased secretion of it

2. Seizure

Seizures can present the same way but you dont have a "typical" history of a seizure as there is no loss of consciousness or spontaneous micturation, defecation etc. However such seizures do exist and has to be evaluated for. What goes in favor is the acute onset of the symptoms

3. Migraine

Clustered episodes every year does explain migraine, what goes in favour is reduced headache after waking up but eating meals would not have reduced the symptoms.

I strongly suggest you approach a set up which has endocrinology, neurology and XXXXXXX medicine so that you can get the following tests done

1. Serum cortisol
2. MRI Brain
3. EEG
4. Fasting blood sugar

I hope I was of help. If you have any further ones please get back to me

Sorry for the short delay in my reply, I just got back from the hospital

Regards

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar