Fibromyalgia and Excessive Sweating: What’s the Connection and What Can You Do?

Is Excessive Sweating a Symptom of Fibromyalgia?

The primary symptom of fibromyalgia is widespread pain affecting multiple areas of the body.

However, secondary symptoms often associated with fibromyalgia include fatigue, anxiety, or depressive syndrome.

Excessive sweating (known as hyperhidrosis) is another symptom reported by some individuals with fibromyalgia.

Why Do Some People with Fibromyalgia Experience Excessive Sweating?

Several factors may explain excessive sweating in individuals with fibromyalgia.

💊 Medications

Excessive sweating can be a side effect of certain medications prescribed to manage fibromyalgia symptoms.

For example, some antidepressants, such as serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), are known to sometimes trigger excessive sweating.

🤒 Autonomic Nervous System Dysfunction

Sweating can also be a symptom directly linked to fibromyalgia due to changes in the nervous system and physiological responses.

• The mechanism of excessive sweating involves dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system, which regulates involuntary body functions like sweating, blood circulation, and digestion.
• People with fibromyalgia may experience imbalances in this system, leading to excessive sweating in response to stimuli that wouldn’t typically provoke such a reaction.
• Neurotransmitters and neural pathways involved in regulating body temperature can also be affected. For example, abnormalities in serotonin and norepinephrine pathways may influence thermal sensitivity and sweat production.

😓 Unrelated Primary Hyperhidrosis

Excessive sweating may also occur independently of fibromyalgia.

In such cases, it is referred to as primary hyperhidrosis, a genetic condition not caused by an underlying disease.

In fact, primary hyperhidrosis is the most common cause of excessive sweating.

In a study of 420 individuals with excessive sweating, only two cases identified fibromyalgia as the trigger for hyperhidrosis (Collercandy 2022).

Can Excessive Sweating Go Away?

Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition, meaning it does not fully heal. However, symptoms like pain and sweating can fluctuate—and sometimes even disappear for certain periods!

If excessive sweating is caused by medication, stopping the medication may lead to the resolution of this symptom.

So yes, in the context of fibromyalgia, excessive sweating may decrease or even disappear temporarily, regardless of any specific actions you take.

Natural Remedies or Treatments for Sweating

There is no specific treatment for excessive sweating in people with fibromyalgia. The same treatments used for the general population apply:

Common Solutions:

• Antiperspirants: Products like Etiaxil or Carpe (available on Amazon) can be applied to the underarms, feet, hands, or face.

Specific Treatments:

• Iontophoresis devices: These are used for treating sweaty hands and feet. Check out my comparison of iontophoresis devices for more details.

More Intense Options:

• Botulinum toxin injections, miraDry, or sympathectomy surgery are available but involve greater commitment.

Natural Alternatives:

• Refer to my article on natural remedies for sweating for more information.

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Do you have any comments or questions? Your comments are welcome 🙂 !

You may also like:

• My blog on hyperhidrosis

 📚 SOURCES

Qureshi AG, Jha SK, Iskander J, Avanthika C, Jhaveri S, Patel VH, Rasagna Potini B, Talha Azam A. Diagnostic Challenges and Management of Fibromyalgia. Cureus. 2021 Oct 11;13(10):e18692. doi: 10.7759/cureus.18692. PMID: 34786265; PMCID: PMC8580749.

Collercandy N, Thorey C, Diot E, Grammatico-Guillon L, Thillard EM, Bernard L, Maillot F, Lemaignen A. When to investigate for secondary hyperhidrosis: data from a retrospective cohort of all causes of recurrent sweating. Ann Med. 2022 Dec;54(1):2089-2101. doi: 10.1080/07853890.2022.2102675. PMID: 35903938; PMCID: PMC9455328