What Causes Excessive Sweating?

I AM A 40 YEAR OLD WOMAN WHO STARTED NOTICING EXCESSIVE SWEATING SEVERAL YEARS AGO. UNTIL THEN, I NEVER KNEW WHAT IT WAS LIKE TO SWEAT - LITERALLY. I USED TO PASS OUT FROM HEAT STROKE WHEN IN A WARM STUFFY ENVIRONMENT - WITH ABSOLUTELY NO SWEATING. WHEN THIS BEGAN, IT WAS NOT SUMMER OR WARM AT ALL. JUMP ABOUT 18 MONTHS. NOW, IT HAS PROGRESSED TO A WHOLE NEW LEVEL AND HAS COMPLETELY DISABLED ME. I RARELY LEAVE THE HOUSE - OR EVEN MY ROOM, BECAUSE UNLESS I AM IN AN ENVIORNENMENT WITH MOVING AIR, NO MATTER WHAT THE ACTUAL TEMPERATURE IS, I VIRTUALLY TURN INTO A PUDDLE.

I HAVE SEEN SEVERAL SPECIALISTS ABOUT THIS CONDITION OVER THE LAST 2-3 YEARS, AND NO ONE SEEMS ABLE TO FIND A CAUSE, OR EVEN GIVE THIS DISORDER THE RELEVANCE THAT IT SHOULD HAVE. OVER THE LAST 3 MONTHS IT HAS PROGRESSED TO A CONSTANT STATE FOR ME - AS IN I AM SWEATING 24/7. THIS IS ONLY INTERRUPTED 6-12 TIMES A DAY WITH EPISODES WHERE I AM VIRTUALLY SOAKED -HEAD TO TOE. OBVIOUSLY I AM NO LONGER ABLE TO GO ANYWHERE, OR EVEN SPEND MUCH TIME ONLINE BECAUSE THIS IS SO UNCOMFORTABLE, DISTRACTING AND FRIGHTENING. I FIRST NOTICED THE SWEATING ON MY BACK. THIS HAS PROGRESSED TO MY ENTIRE UPPER BODY FROM THE PELVIS UP. YESTERDAY, JUST OUT OF THE SHOWER, I HAD SWEAT ROLLING DOWN MY FRONT AND BACK SO HEAVY THAT IT WAS RUNNING DOWN MY LEGS. I CONTINUE TO TRY TO IDENTIFY THE FACTORS THAT MIGHT BE CAUSING THIS PROBLEM, BUT THE ONLY THING I CAN ABSOLUTELY IDENTIFY AS MAKING ANY DIFFERENCE - GOOD OR BAD, IS MOVING AIR. WITHOUT MOVING AIR, I AM A PUDDLE.

I AM A PROFESSIONAL RESEARCHER, AND A PHD. WHO USED TO TEACH GRADUATE LEVEL STATISTICS AND HAVE RECENTLY PUBLISHED A DOCUMENT SPOTLIGHTING THE FAILURES OF OUR CIVIL COURT SYSTEM AND WHAT WE CAN DO TO LEVEL THE PLAYING FIELD FOR THE "RESPONDENTS" AGAIN. THE POINT I AM MAKING HERE IS THAT I HAVE A LIFE TO GO BACK TO AND I AM BEING SIDELINED BY SOMETHING THAT I CANNOT TELL MANY PEOPLE ABOUT. I HAVE ADJUSTED MY DIET TO BE LOW SALT, AND ACTUALLY QUITE HEALTHY. I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN A FAIRLY THIN WOMAN, 5'5" TALL AND LESS THAN 117LBS, EVEN AFTER DELIVERING EACH OF MY 4 SONS. MOST OF THE TIME I DRINK PLAIN WATER.

PHARMACEUTICALLY SPEAKING, I HAVE BEEN GIVEN XANAX (EARLY ON - BUT NOT NOW,) CLONIDINE, HYOSCYAMINE, AND EVERY ANTI-PERSPIRANT ON THE MARKET WITH VERY LITTLE LUCK. I EVEN USED A PRODUCT CALLED ICY-HOT ON THE BACK OF MY NECK TO COOL MY SKIN A BIT. MY SKIN IS ALWAYS HOT, AND WHEN I AM EXPERIENCING A MELTDOWN - SEVERAL TIMES A DAY, ONE COULD LITERALLY FEEL THE HEAT COMING THROUGH MY SKIN BY PLACING THEIR HAND AN INCH FROM MY UPPER BACK, NECK, FACE OR HEAD.

I HAVE CONSULTED WITH SEVERAL SPECIALISTS - MY ALLERGIST, MY FAMILY DOCTOR -(WHO RETIRED LAST SUMMER AND I HAVE NOT REPLACED HER,) MY PSYCHIATRIST, AND AN ENDOCRINOLOGIST. NONE OF THEM PROVIDED ANY HELP WITH THIS INCREASINGLY DISABLING DISORDER. WHILE I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT THIS CONDITION AROSE FROM SOLEY EMOTIONAL OR PSYCHIATRIC ORIGINS, I BELIEVE THAT NOW, STRESS, ANXIETY AND JUST A GENERAL SENSE OF DREAD ASSOCIATED WITH INTERACTING WITH PEOPLE ARE ALL TIED UP IN THIS "SYNDROME" AND WILL NEED TO BE ADDRESSED AS PART OF ANY TREATMENT REGIME.

ASIDE FROM CLONIDINE, I HAVE NOT TRIED ANY ORAL MEDICATIONS TO DATE. I HAVE PURCHASED ABOUT EVERY ANTI-PERSPIRANT ON THE MARKET WITH MINIMAL RESULTS. I WOULD LIKE TO TRY OXYBUTYNIN ALONG WITH SOMETHING TO TREAT MY GROWING ANXIETY DISORDER BEFORE I AM TOTALLY PARALYZED FROM IT. I AM ALWAYS OPEN TO ANY ALTERNATIVE TREATMENT NOT ONLY TO TREAT THE UNDERLYING CONDITION, BUT TO ENHANCE MY QUALITY OF LIFE WHILE I SEEK A CURE OR SUCCUMB TO THIS INSIDIOUS CONDITION THAT HAS TAKEN OVER MY ONCE PRODUCTIVE LIFE.