Sweating at night

Posted by Debby - @tavi @tavi, Aug 19, 2016

My husband has trouble sleeping for more than 2 to 3 hours at night due to uncontrolled sweating. He is very cold and wears a lot of clothes even though our home night temperature is set at 75 degrees. This problem has been going on for several years and progressively gotten worse. The sweating occurs mainly on the right side of his body. We have searched for medical reasons this may be occurring but our doctors have found nothing. He was diagnosed with dementia three years ago. As you can imagine, waking up every 2-3 hours sleep is not sufficient for him (or me, his spouse/care giver) to become rested. As his dementia has progressed, caring for the sweating has gotten more complex and confusing. I'm curious if others have had this experience and/or have suggestions - either medical or environmental.....

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i think it is hotflush due to low testossterone.

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@bina

i think it is hotflush due to low testossterone.

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Yes - our endocrinologist thought that might be the case.... however, we just got blood test results yesterday and his testosterone is in normal range....

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@tavi Welcome to Mayo Connect, I see that you just joined a few days ago. I'm sure that you will find this a very supportive community. I was reading about your husband's problem and I was wondering if there are any other health problems that might be causing the night sweats? Is he treated for any other health issues? Feel free to share about his health issues as you feel comfortable. Mayo Connect might have others with similar symptoms related to a specific diagnosis. Best wishes to you both, I'm sure that a good night's sleep would be good medicine for you both!

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@hopeful33250

@tavi Welcome to Mayo Connect, I see that you just joined a few days ago. I'm sure that you will find this a very supportive community. I was reading about your husband's problem and I was wondering if there are any other health problems that might be causing the night sweats? Is he treated for any other health issues? Feel free to share about his health issues as you feel comfortable. Mayo Connect might have others with similar symptoms related to a specific diagnosis. Best wishes to you both, I'm sure that a good night's sleep would be good medicine for you both!

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Thanks for asking - it is a good idea to share some additional things. He<br />has had an irregular heartbeat for several years - it was first treated<br />with an ablation in 2004. He received a pacemaker in 2014 and started to<br />take solatol along with a blood thinner. Gradually everything was adjusted<br />so that that arrhythmia was lessened and he no longer sensed the attacks.<br />In January of this year when we were checking if any meds may be causing<br />the night sweats, we talked with his cardiologist. She suggested stopping<br />the solatol - there was no change in the night sweats. Also, since there<br />was no stronger occurrence of the arrhythmia he never restarted that med.<br />He continues to take Eliquis. The only additional meds are Protonix (he<br />was diagnosed several years ago with potential Barrett's but later tests<br />were inconclusive and that has never caused any problems since) and<br />Aricept. He has always had low blood pressure and been sensitive to cold.<br /><br />Appreciate any other directions this may lead....<br />

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@tavi Thanks for adding some additional medical information. Perhaps that will help someone else identify with either the meds or the conditions and offer some assistance. You mentioned your husband takes Protonix, I believe that is a class of drugs called PPI (proton pump inhibitor). Does you husband experience diarrhea? Protonix can cause sleep problems (according to the website) but no mention of hot flashes, etc. You might want to check with his doctor to see if a non-PPI drug could be tried. I'm thinking of Zantac, Pepcid, etc. You could see what his doctor thinks and give it a try. Just a suggestion, while I've never had this problem I did take PPI meds in the past and I'm now taking Zantac because of a problem with carcinoids (rare form of malignancy). Best wishes as you act as a detective in trying to solve this mystery.

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@hopeful33250

@tavi Welcome to Mayo Connect, I see that you just joined a few days ago. I'm sure that you will find this a very supportive community. I was reading about your husband's problem and I was wondering if there are any other health problems that might be causing the night sweats? Is he treated for any other health issues? Feel free to share about his health issues as you feel comfortable. Mayo Connect might have others with similar symptoms related to a specific diagnosis. Best wishes to you both, I'm sure that a good night's sleep would be good medicine for you both!

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I forgot to add a curious manifestation of the sweating -- they occur most profusely on the right side of his upper body - His arm, his chest and his upper back. There is a clear line of separation down the center line of his chest and back -- the left side of his body is warmer and not sweating.

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@hopeful33250

@tavi Thanks for adding some additional medical information. Perhaps that will help someone else identify with either the meds or the conditions and offer some assistance. You mentioned your husband takes Protonix, I believe that is a class of drugs called PPI (proton pump inhibitor). Does you husband experience diarrhea? Protonix can cause sleep problems (according to the website) but no mention of hot flashes, etc. You might want to check with his doctor to see if a non-PPI drug could be tried. I'm thinking of Zantac, Pepcid, etc. You could see what his doctor thinks and give it a try. Just a suggestion, while I've never had this problem I did take PPI meds in the past and I'm now taking Zantac because of a problem with carcinoids (rare form of malignancy). Best wishes as you act as a detective in trying to solve this mystery.

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Thank you - I will check.

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@hopeful33250

@tavi Welcome to Mayo Connect, I see that you just joined a few days ago. I'm sure that you will find this a very supportive community. I was reading about your husband's problem and I was wondering if there are any other health problems that might be causing the night sweats? Is he treated for any other health issues? Feel free to share about his health issues as you feel comfortable. Mayo Connect might have others with similar symptoms related to a specific diagnosis. Best wishes to you both, I'm sure that a good night's sleep would be good medicine for you both!

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@tavi The one-sided nature of the night sweats is interesting. I suppose your husband has seen a neurologist?

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