Night Sweats

[tryingtolearn1979]

I started getting night sweats after I came back from Iraq a few years ago.  They have showed up off and on since then when I am under stress or anxiety.  I usually would wake up in panic and so on.

I am on Zoloft and I take an Ativan before bed because lately I have been having major panic attacks during the day, and my mind just races with thoughts I can't control.

Is it normal still to get night sweats, I am not waking up in panic because of the drugs I take at bedtime, but I am still sweating.  When I do wake up I can tell I have been sweating.  Some nights are very mild some are bad.  It also may be due to the thick blanket on the bed as well.

[mammo]

Your Zoloft has not had time to help you.  It takes 4-6 weeks for it to reach it's full therapeutic level in your system.  There is also an adjustment period where things can get worse before getting better, but you're beyond that. I think it's a bad idea to be mixing all those medicines at night and those alone can be causing your problems.  You shouldn't be mixing any medication with your prescription meds without talking to your doctor, you could be making a deadly mix there.  You do need the Ativan and Zoloft, and know each day on the Zoloft you are closer to feeling better and it will help control your racing mind. I agree that therapy would be very beneficial for you.  Getting to the root of your problem is always the best way to go.  It is a vicious cycle created by worry which feeds our anxiety. Hopefully, your doctor can help you with this and ask to be referred to a therapist.  Take care.

[tryingtolearn1979]

I am going to try taking my Zoloft split into two times, once at 9pm then at 9am.  I think that will work well.  I will cut out all the products with diphenhydramine, I think if I added them all up I was taking about 115mg of that stuff a night.  I don't like pills and don't want to be held hostage by them but I understand the Zoloft and Ativan are needed to help my serious anxiety problem.

Thank you for all your thoughts and ideas.  It helps to have someone that can give me feedback.  I only get to see a Dr once a month, I get to see him WED and will be spending my time talking about my anxiety and ways to control my thoughts.

[Paxiled]

Keep in mind that antidepressants frequently cause night sweats.  I get them from Lexapro and Celexa, for example.  So medication can cause the same symptoms as anxiety.  One thing you might try is dividing the Zoloft dose in two -- sometimes that levels the side effects and keeps a steady amount in your bloodstream.  But you're also taking a lot of meds, all with side effects and effects, and some of them you're using for their side effects, not their effects, such as benadryl and Tylenol.  Tylenol itself can cause sweating, and it's also highly liver toxic and is best not taken regularly, and so can cause additional problems as your liver tries to expel it from your body.  I hope you're in therapy so you can get to the bottom of this so you don't have to stay so medicated -- medication doesn't cure, it just mitigates symptoms, but it is often the only thing that works.  I would say, try to find meds that work better rather than continually adding meds to something that isn't working that well, if that's the case, and remember, stopping these meds can also cause side effects, including night sweats.  Racing thoughts are the common factor of all of us with anxiety.  Ativan is probably best used as needed when you're suffering anxiety; taking it every night might help you sleep, but only as an unwanted side effect, and it can disturb REM sleep.  Have you ever tried something like melatonin that has few side effects for sleep?  Might not work, but if a natural sleep remedy does work, you won't have that drugged out feeling, and you can use the medication to tackle the more serious problem, which is the anxiety and use therapy to figure out why you still have it and if it's controllable that way.  Any way you go, good luck.  And remember, there's a lot of us anxiety sufferers out here without a clue why we are this way -- it appears you have a clue, which makes it more likely you'll find the answer.

[IcanWithChrist]

I feel for you and will be praying for you!  Try to get fresh air and sunshine during the day, it helps with the anxiety.  Let the doctor know all your symptoms so that they can manage your meds during your treatment and get it just right.  It may take a month or so.

[tryingtolearn1979]

My panic is not controlled yet, everyday I am still having anxiety.  My heart and mind are still racing and I have the irrational thoughts. I have been on zoloft less than two weeks.A I take Zoloft in the AM, and I think it starts working at 12, cause from the time I wake up until 12 I am at wits end.  Then by 5pm I feel good, I go to sleep and wake up in the AM with my sheets soaked.

I think my mind just keeps going at night even though I am knocked out.  When I didn't have Ativan I would wake up in an attack while I was sweating then have to get up out of bed cause I felt I was loosing my mind.

Now at bed time I take .5mg of Ativan, 1 Unisome, 2 Tylenol PMs, and 1 benadryl.  I think I am so drugged that I just sleep through with out waking up but I still have the attacks at night that cause sweating. If I do wake up I roll to the other side of the bed and pass out.

It is still warm in my room, and I have two blankets on cause the temperature swings from hot to cold during the night.

I just wish I could get ahold of this stress and anxiety, it is starting to run my life and turn me into someone I dont want to be which causes me even more stress....it is a vicious cycle!

I wish I had someone to talk too.

[mammo]

Night sweats can be caused by other medical conditions.  You may want to see your doctor regarding this since your panic is now controlled.  Try sleeping with a lighter blankets and see if it gets any better.  THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE TO OUR COUNTRY!!!!!  Take care...