Excessive Sweating and How it Worsens Anxiety

Something that happens when an anxiety sufferer has an attack is that the body's internal temperature goes up. There is more heat produced and the obvious reaction the body has is to sweat profusely. Sweating is part of the body's cooling system and if a person did not sweat he or she would be susceptible to serious heat injury to include heat stroke. One particularly troublesome problem for the anxiety sufferer is that the profuse sweating during an attack oftentimes will occur in the most embarrassing of situations and usually within a social context. Imagine giving a presentation to corporate management and breaking out in huge drops of sweat because of your inner anxiety. Those observing on the outside don't really know that the sufferer is having an anxiety reaction so they begin to draw conclusions that this person was not prepared or some other negative evaluation. Of course the anxiety sufferer is also aware of his or her situation and experiences embarrassment because of the sweat which can serve to add to more anxiety. This is definitely a symptom the anxiety sufferer wants to get under control but how?

So what causes this excessive sweating in the anxiety sufferer? An anxiety sufferer is usually in a heightened state of alertness due to the "fight or flight" reaction he or she is experiencing when faced with an anxiety-producing situation. This reaction is the body's normal reaction to a perceived threat and it is how primitive man defended himself by either running from the attacker or standing up to it. The main chemical secreted during this response is adrenalin. Adrenalin gets the heart pumping faster to get blood to the parts where it is needed most. All this generates heat and sweating is the natural response to it.

Excessive sweating can be controlled with beta blocker prescriptions. These would be medications like Atenolol (generic) and its name-brand equivalent Tenormin. Beta blockers in this case reduce the effects of adrenalin and its effect of an increased heart rate. Increased heart rate causes more heat which causes more sweat. Clonidine can also be prescribed which reduces contracting and dilating of blood vessels. When the heart rate increases, contraction and dilation of blood vessels increases as well and it generates heat. Patient side effects can be a dry mouth or the patient becomes extremely drowsy. Another beneficial side effect is that these beta blockers have a calming effect on the anxiety sufferer which would make sense because of the reduction in adrenalin.

Another prescription used to control anxiety-related sweating is Botox. This involves making an injection in the areas of your body containing nerves that activate the sweat glands such as those in the underarms, hands, and face. The injections can be very painful. A dangerous side effect of Botox can be temporary paralysis at the injected areas.

The best solution to profuse sweating related to anxiety is to get the patient to face his or her situations that cause panic attacks. Through cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), the patient can learn to overcome fears in a natural way instead of with risky medications. In any case, you should consult your doctor to see which solutions are right for you.