My family sweats a lot anyway, but it seems like since I've been on my Gabapentin and Cymbalta that I sweat constantly. I'm not talking about a glistening sheen of sweat....I'm talking my hair is wet from my neck sweating and my face looks like I just splashed water all over me. Does anyone else have this problem? Is it the medicine (could be from my blood pressure medicine also, but I think I've had this longer than I've been on my blood pressure medicine) or just another odd symptom of Fibro?
Hello smalltowngirl,
That is an interesting question, I am curious to know others experiences. For me the Fibro decided to visit me about the time i was going through the Menopause, so I was experiencing hot flushes anyway. These have continued tho' and I am way past Menopause! It is exactly as you describe, suddenly my forehead is dripping with sweat, very attractive! Does the leaflet that comes with your meds mention this as a side effect?
Take care, Anne
Hi SmalltownGirl, yes, excessive sweating can be a side-effect of Cymbalta as well as many other antidepressants. I also take Imitrex for migraines and sweating can be a side-effect of that too. I was having terrible episodes while I was in Nordstroms shopping, LOL, now I have clothes shipped to my home and try them on there (free shipping and returns!) You didnât mention how long youâve been on the Cymbalta, if youâve started it fairly recently then you might want to wait to see if the sweating subsides. If it doesnât get better, then you could talk to your doc about maybe switching to Savella, it is in the same class of meds but may cause less sweating for you. The sweating is definitely less for me on Savella, but I still keep my AC on and have my clothes delivered!
I also take Cymbalata and Gabapentin. I seem to be warm in bed and usually I am cool. Also, I seem to never have sweat much most of my life until now. I sweat not as severe as you but I have never worn under arm protect and now I have to every day. Not sure how the Medes have caused this to happen but it has. I eat a low sodium diet all my life and feel it has helped until now.
My my my- never seems to end with this condition, meldications we take and being able to sleep and awak refreshed seems it goes on and on.
Ron
In my opinion, it's probably the Cymbalta.
We've had this discussion from time to time and it always comes down to being the Cymbalta. And yes, like you splashed water on yourself, a soaking sweat. I believe it's even listed as a side effect of Cymbalta.
If you want to look through past discussions on the matter, feel free to go to the very top of your computer screen, on the right side, and you will see a small box where you can type in a search criteria, like "sweat" and it will pull up past related posts or entire discussions.
If you are menopausal, it could also be that. I know I'm experiencing night sweats from it, so those stories are true.
I have the same problem but I am currently taking no medications, I sweat so much I often wake up from my sleep or during the day even if it isnât too hot I over sweat, I hope this helps.
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I'm not on any medication other than Percocet and valium, neither of which cause sweats. I know that I swear even when I'm chilled. I wake up every morning with wet hair, even on mornings when I hadn't taken any medication the night before. It could be a combination of the fibro and the meds or just one or the other.
Sweating is by far the most common skin condition fibromites have, â32%â, research has confirmed.
To outsource info on treating sweating from my symptom & treatment lists
Iâm reviving this thread, as it is the most recent one of 3 which have that word or âperspirationâ in the title and because Ron @Fearski is still actively around⌠and can give us an update 
Treatments / Ideas:
Treat with tablets, mineral powders, botox, change clothes, mattresses, furosemide, HRT, Balance App by Dr. Louise Newson(?), Neat 3B face saver, oxybutenin, clonodine hydrochloride. Is it SFN or CRPS-I? Might GABA help? Or caused by meds like duloxetine & other antidepressants?).
Myself, Iâve always been a bit of a sweater, which was considerably reduced by fibro, meaning I had to change my t-shirts less often; until my TCM-acupressurist restored my cold tolerance again by activating the âinner cooking potâ which stabilized my temperature tolerance again. So Iâve never had reason to think of it in terms of fibro.
But now Iâve had a look at the studies on sweating (hyperhidrosis) on pubmed and seen
- a study that 32% of 845 fibromites suffered from hyperhidrosis, 10x more than any other single skin condition (?! Laniosz et al., 2014) Dermatologic manifestations of fibromyalgia - PubMed,
- a study that sweating may be reduced (diminished autonomic regulation) (thatâd be me then) in accordance with evidence of small nerve fiber neuropathy (SFN) (Reyes Del Paso et al, 2020, (a corrrection), Correction: Reduced activity, reactivity and functionality of the sympathetic nervous system in fibromyalgia: An electrodermal study - PubMed),
- there is however a very recent study (Bailly, 2021) using sweating as a pointer to differentiate the overlap between SFN and FMS in the direction of SNF, and an old one (Collins et al, 2008) doing the same for CRPS-I - so those 2 might be diagnoses to have a look at. The challenge of differentiating fibromyalgia from small-fiber neuropathy in clinical practice - PubMed, Development of a symptoms questionnaire for complex regional pain syndrome and potentially related illnesses: the Trauma Related Neuronal Dysfunction Symptoms Inventory - PubMed,
- a study linking exaggerated muscular contraction (also muscle stiffness), sweating and constriction of blood vessels with changes in several brain neurotransmitters, particularly serotonin and norepinephrine (Marvulli et al. 2015) Objective Assessment of the Rheological Muscle Property in the Treatment of Fibromyalgia - PubMed.
The latterâd also be connected to me and also to the mention of oxybutenin and clonodine hydrochloride above, as using GABA, which drastically decreases my muscle stiffness and improves my bladder problems, I assume by changing the serotonin, whilst not making my mouth too dry, much less than meds anyway. For âsweatersâ it may suggest trying GABA. For me it suggests looking at my sweating more closely⌠- This one links sweating to duloxetine (âCymbaltaâ), so thatâd also be one to watch (Ormseth et al, 2011), Duloxetine in the management of diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain - PubMed. As @Starr says above this seems also to be true of other antidepressants like Sumatriptan (âImitrexâ).
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Well Iâm not a sweater and then I started Cymbalta a few years back and all of a sudden my sweat glands seemed to be much more active. I was on Cymbalta for a few years and never connected the sweating to the drug. Then I stopped the drug and itâs been two years now and seems Iâm back to my normal sweating. After reading the post I now see have my sweating might of been connected to the drug.
After I looking back at several of the drugs I was on and how their side effects caused several side effects Iâm glad I was able to slowly take myself off several of them.
Thankfully for me, the more I am active and after working with a nutritionist on what foods to eat to help my body deal with Fibro I was able to manage my pain with less medication.
I know all of you have all different levels of pain plus may have other health issues combined with your Fibro. Itâs all about looking for ways to allow ones body to manage itself from within us using good eating practices, exercise, meditation and surrounding yourself with positive people who understand your condition.
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