Been sweating a lot from armpits latetly

[Red Squirrel]

Seems to have started in the past months or so, it's not ALL the time, but hits at random intervals and once it starts just can't stop it. I have to go in the bathroom and wipe it with toilet paper to try to soak the worse of it but it's to the point where it will show on shirts. I use Old Spice antiperspirant and it's always worked fine for me. Regular deodorant has never done anything for me, always had to use antiperspirant. But now even that's not working.

What could cause something like this? Googling this just results in sites wanting to sell me all sorts of products so did not get anywhere.

Could it be some types of food I eat, or some other issue I should get checked? Is there anything I can do to help suppress this?

 

[DigDog]

is it the wetness or the smell that bothers you? if it's just the wetness, it really depends on your diet .. too much salt, too many liquids .. OR you might have a condition of which i am not aware. There aren't really many reasons why you would sweat more besides from having too much water to sweat out .. .i am not a doctor.

 

[Carson Dyle]

Caffeine?

 

[purbeast0]

old spice is terrible. i remember like 10+ years ago i ran out of my normal stuff on vacation and grabbed some of the old spice stuff. it was the blue "gel" bar type of antipersperant. it gave me rashes and other than smelling good for about 30 minutes it did absolutely nothing. my arm pits would sweat like a mofo after it wore off.

now all i use is degree and i've been using it at least 10 years. works great and always keeps me dry.

and i'm a BIG sweater in general. it runs in my family. we get hot very easily. the worst is getting really hot after getting out of the shower.

 

[Red Squirrel]

It's mostly the wetness that bothers me, but they say you never smell if you stick, so it does bother me that I might also smell and just nobody told me. I do drink a lot of liquids, mostly water and coffee. Would caffeine cause this? I could try to cut down on coffee, I have maybe one large Tim's per day and then maybe 1-2 regular mugs if I'm on night shift.

What's another good antiperspirant to try? I find a lot of them have a scent to them and I hate that, old spice is the one that seems to have the less worse scent. I'll try degree as a start but open to other suggestions too.

 

[Carson Dyle]

Seems kind of crazy that anyone would ask strangers in a forum if something they're eating may be causing them to sweat excessively.

A. You know what you eat.
B. You can _easily_ experiment with changing your diet.

Yes (again) on the caffeine. I get the pit sweats when I overdo it. Moreover, my caffeine tolerance has changed over the years.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Good to know, I'll try to lay off the coffee and see if it helps.

It's kinda hard to experiment if I don't know what might be causing it, otherwise.

 

[hightree]

It's called hyperhidrosis and it can be caused by:
- anxiety (being stressed emotionally or physically)
- alcohol
- caffeine
- overdoing anything...food, work

Please do not buy/use antiperspirants -- it will only lead you away from the real problem.

Apart from hyperhidration, excessive sweating is also called diaphoresis (when it is caused by a health condition). Diaphoresis is sweating "all over" rather than just in armpits, which is called "focal hyperhidrosis" - which is probably what you have.

Key word: exaggeration. Are you exaggerating with something?

 

[deadlyapp]

If you use old spice now, try their higher strength "Sweat Defense" line. I used to have pretty low success with most antiperspirants but this one seems to do pretty well for me.

 

[AndreM]

High Protein consumption may do this, I got a high protein diet all year round, so I buy a good deodorant from my pharmacy and I won't sweat from my armpits.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Hmmm I have been trying to eat more protein. I also found on Google that spicy foods might cause it. I have been trying to lay off that to see if it helps as I like stuff spicy. Reduced coffee as well. Seems to be helping but still early to tell. This seems to come in spurts.

 

[hightree]

Try think about "triggers" -- everything that may not agree with you.

Proteins produce more heat than carbohydrates and fats. I think I feel more warmth after eating a chicken leg.

Any specific reason to eat more proteins?

 

[Red Squirrel]

Any specific reason to eat more proteins?

Most foods now days are all carbs, so trying to move away from carbs, and it just so happens lot of healthier food (ex: eggs, chicken) have more protein. That and I started working out as well, though not as often as I want to, maybe every 1-2 weeks. So when I do workout I try to eat more protein or take a protein shake. Overall though I don't think I'm eating THAT much more protein, just more than I did before.

Had a coffee today, so I'll see if I start to sweat again tomorrow. Though it might be too early to experiment I probably should have waited longer to ensure the last few days were not just a fluke.

 

[Carson Dyle]

Had a coffee today, so I'll see if I start to sweat again tomorrow.

Huh??

One would think that to realize the effects (positive or negative) the caffeine would still need to be in your system. That's like saying "I ate a big steak today, will have to see if I get hungry tomorrow".

 

[Red Squirrel]

Well I'm just experimenting to see if it's coffee. I don't think it is, since I was fine. I may be able to rule that out. But it might be cumulative too, I tend to drink more coffee when I'm working vs when I'm off, so I'll have to try to notice.

 

[hightree]

Most foods now days are all carbs, so trying to move away from carbs, and it just so happens lot of healthier food (ex: eggs, chicken) have more protein. That and I started working out as well, though not as often as I want to, maybe every 1-2 weeks. So when I do workout I try to eat more protein or take a protein shake. Overall though I don't think I'm eating THAT much more protein, just more than I did before.

Had a coffee today, so I'll see if I start to sweat again tomorrow. Though it might be too early to experiment I probably should have waited longer to ensure the last few days were not just a fluke.

The claim that carbs are bad for health is a myth. I'm not aware of any serious study that would say that carbohydrate foods that contain some fiber (whole grains) are bad for health. They are sugars and other quick carbohydrates (white bread, pasta, rice and potatoes) that can be too heavy for the stomach and may cause excessive blood glucose fluctuation.

Protein shakes are not better in any sense than natural protein foods. They also often contain lactose or other sweeteners that can cause bloating.

 

[Red Squirrel]

The claim that carbs are bad for health is a myth. I'm not aware of any serious study that would say that carbohydrate foods that contain some fiber (whole grains) are bad for health. They are sugars and other quick carbohydrates (white bread, pasta, rice and potatoes) that can be too heavy for the stomach and may cause excessive blood glucose fluctuation.

Protein shakes are not better in any sense than natural protein foods. They also often contain lactose or other sweeteners that can cause bloating.

That's good to know about the carbs.. I bought a rice cooker as rice makes a good food that goes with a lot, then I found out rice is basically 100% carbs so I got kinda weary about it, but then look at Asians they're not really fat... but then there was a recent study saying that a lot of them are getting diabetes. So it seems it's hard to know what's healthy and what's not these days due to all the different points of views and studies. The shakes are mostly as a filler, it's cheap protein and quick and easy. I don't rely on them 100% though.

 

[hightree]

There is insufficient evidence about the effectiveness of a low-carb diet in preventing diabetes, and there is some evidence that whole-grains (which are mainly carbs) are associated with decreased risk.
http://www.nutrientsreview.com/carbs

It really is a big difference between quick carbs (those with very little fiber) and those with fiber. Rice is low in fiber, so if your intuition tells you to avoid/limit it, it sounds reasonable.

Many people, myself included, feel that a lot of quick carbs may not be good. But then you do not need to switch to all protein/fat. You can switch to high-fiber diet, which is still high-carb, but totally different than white bread/pasta/rice/sugar diet.

 

[FeuerFrei]

If you want to shut down sweat, use Certain Dri. There's no scent to it. No waxy buildup on clothing. Roll it on. It lasts for 3 days. You have to keep your shirt off for 10 minutes until it dries though, unless you want to permanently discolor the fabric under the arms.

I used to have to sit at a desk, idle, with sweat trickling from my pits and down my sides. A/P buildup on my shirts. It was sad. But that was before I switched to Certain Dri. It has a different active ingredient. No more stick/gel antiperspirant for me.

 

[Batmeat]

Another option is Botox. Goto your general surgeon or dermatologist for this though. Anyone who isn't licensed injecting Botox isn't worth the risk of seeing. It will last you around 6 months.

 

[Red Squirrel]

If you want to shut down sweat, use Certain Dri. There's no scent to it. No waxy buildup on clothing. Roll it on. It lasts for 3 days. You have to keep your shirt off for 10 minutes until it dries though, unless you want to permanently discolor the fabric under the arms.

I used to have to sit at a desk, idle, with sweat trickling from my pits and down my sides. A/P buildup on my shirts. It was sad. But that was before I switched to Certain Dri. It has a different active ingredient. No more stick/gel antiperspirant for me.

Sounds interesting but the fact that it can stain that easily when it's first applied seems kinda alarming. How do you really know when it's safe to put the shirt on? Like does it feel different to the touch? Once my current stick is done I will try another antiperspirant first to see if it's better. But I'll keep this one in mind if all else fails.

I am still trying to figure out if there's any kind of actual cause. I think I ruled out coffee as I cut down quite a bit and still had it happen. It seems to be rather sporadic so I'm thinking there must be something that is causing it. It does tend to happen more in warmer rooms though, I tend to keep my house cool to save energy so I've gotten used to 20C and under room temp.

 

[FeuerFrei]

Sounds interesting but the fact that it can stain that easily when it's first applied seems kinda alarming. How do you really know when it's safe to put the shirt on? Like does it feel different to the touch? Once my current stick is done I will try another antiperspirant first to see if it's better. But I'll keep this one in mind if all else fails.

I am still trying to figure out if there's any kind of actual cause. I think I ruled out coffee as I cut down quite a bit and still had it happen. It seems to be rather sporadic so I'm thinking there must be something that is causing it. It does tend to happen more in warmer rooms though, I tend to keep my house cool to save energy so I've gotten used to 20C and under room temp.

You're advised by the label to apply it at night. That is what I do. Roll it on and lie down with my arms out. I only wear shirts I've retired from public duty to bed, so there's no real threat of ruining a good shirt.

You can't sense its presence once dry, other than the fact your pits remain curiously dry. Just put on a shirt you don't care about once it seems dry. It has kind of a bleach effect on shirts so light colors won't be too detectable. I've only discolored 2-3 shirts in the years I've used it. Shirts I don't care about.

 

[Chaotic42]

This happens to me if I take in a lot of caffeine. Interestingly when I'm really hot the armpit sweating isn't that bad.

 

[Red Squirrel]

You're advised by the label to apply it at night. That is what I do. Roll it on and lie down with my arms out. I only wear shirts I've retired from public duty to bed, so there's no real threat of ruining a good shirt.

You can't sense its presence once dry, other than the fact your pits remain curiously dry. Just put on a shirt you don't care about once it seems dry. It has kind of a bleach effect on shirts so light colors won't be too detectable. I've only discolored 2-3 shirts in the years I've used it. Shirts I don't care about.

Oh so put it on at night, then can still use regular stuff for the day? I don't put any shirt on at night so would not really be an issue. I'd just let it dry for a while to avoid staining blankets but that's not a HUGE issue if it did happen.

Switched to Degree just to try another type of antiperspirant (regular deodorents do crap all for me). Same active ingredient but formula may still be different. It SEEMS to work, but I don't know if it's just my imagination as I did get a few sweaty periods. I think it may in fact be coffee, but it's cumulative, if I have one here and there I'm fine, if I have one every day for several days straight, then it seems to start.

I did notice it's worse when it's cold too, which is odd. I mean, I'll sweat a lot in general if it's hot as I really don't tolerate heat much, but the "sitting down doing nothing" arm pit sweat seems to be more prevalent when it's colder.

Switching to degree seems to have at least helped though. It has been better enough that I totally forgot about this thread.

 

[FeuerFrei]

It lasts 3 whole days. You will be dry non-stop for 72 hours. Apply it every third night. It just works.

I switched to CertainDri at least 10 years ago and I'm so glad I'm not ruining shirts with buildup/yellowing anymore.