Night Time Sweating

[heavenly]

Hi guys, just need some advice or if you have any tips?

I have been on Citalopram, for anxiety and depression, for 3 months and a side effect I am still getting is night time sweating, I wake up a couple of times in the night with a soaking wet back and front, I have to keep a towel next to my bed and I sleep on a towel as well. Will I always have this as long as I stay on the Cit? The Cit is helping with my depression but the nightly sweating is slowly bringing my health anxiety back. Is it worth going back to my GP, would she have any ideas? Though I don't want to have to change ADs, it was really tough having to get through the first few weeks of Cit but it is now helping with my depression and was helping with my anxiety, but the nightly sweating is hindering my recovery. I don't wear anything in bed and I have had the room warm and cold, makes no difference.

[Vixxy]

Hi there. I had exactly the same on Cit and put up with it for many years. I was swapped to Mirtazapine when I finally told the GP how bad it was and he sweats disapeared completely! Gone! Wow that felt good. Unfortunately the mirt wasnt doing as great a job with my anxiety, so I was put on Seroxat along with the mirt. (my GP initially wanted to put me back on cit, but I said no).
Long story short, I'm back to sweating at night again. IT is bloody awful, so I fully sympathise with you! I wish I could offer you an answer, but I'm afraid I've not got an answer for you.
The only things I will say are that if the meds are helping you, then you need to weigh up whether the night sweats are something you can put up with until youre well enough to come off the meds, or if you want to try another medication to see if it'll stop the sweats.
I've found sleeping with a window open, regardless of the temperature helps with the sweating and I always wear pj's to bed. They soak up some of the sweat and I can easily take them off in the middle of the night and get a decent kip. Saves getting up and wiping myself down with a towel anyway.
I was considering ordering some wicking pjs, which are often used by menopausal women. The fabric soaks up the sweat and pushes it to the other side, so it wont feel damp. Costs a bit though XD

[heavenly]

Hi there. I had exactly the same on Cit and put up with it for many years. I was swapped to Mirtazapine when I finally told the GP how bad it was and he sweats disapeared completely! Gone! Wow that felt good. Unfortunately the mirt wasnt doing as great a job with my anxiety, so I was put on Seroxat along with the mirt. (my GP initially wanted to put me back on cit, but I said no).
Long story short, I'm back to sweating at night again. IT is bloody awful, so I fully sympathise with you! I wish I could offer you an answer, but I'm afraid I've not got an answer for you.
The only things I will say are that if the meds are helping you, then you need to weigh up whether the night sweats are something you can put up with until youre well enough to come off the meds, or if you want to try another medication to see if it'll stop the sweats.
I've found sleeping with a window open, regardless of the temperature helps with the sweating and I always wear pj's to bed. They soak up some of the sweat and I can easily take them off in the middle of the night and get a decent kip. Saves getting up and wiping myself down with a towel anyway.
I was considering ordering some wicking pjs, which are often used by menopausal women. The fabric soaks up the sweat and pushes it to the other side, so it wont feel damp. Costs a bit though XD

Thanks so much for that reply. xx I found lying on a towel last night helped a bit, it soaked up a lot of the sweat so it didn't end up on my back. So if its the Cit, I have to put up with it, I know what you are saying, I have to weigh up, what's worse, anxiety and depression, or sweating every night. Just wish the sweating wasn't so bad! I might see my GP, maybe have a blood test, just to rule out anything hormonal.

[Vixxy]

I had some blood tests done, which all came back clear. I've got an app on my iphone that tracks my periods. I sweat all month, but only a little bit. Soon as I ovulate it gets worse and worse until about 2 days into my period when it drops back down again.
It might be worthwhile you keeping a track of when its happening so that you can tell your GP. I dunno if the pill would help, I'd go on it again but i already take too many meds! I cant be taking any more, ill start to rattle lol!

[Greenman50]

Hi heavenly

I,ve been reading about your cit journey , thanks for posting its been very helpfull.

I,m on day 12 ish and i don,t sweat as much as you by the sounds of it but i do sweat , more of a cold neck (wet sweat gone cold) in the night and mt t shirt slightly damp . My skin seems to feel hot also .
Nothing major but i had none of this before .

This might sound stupid ..lol... but my wife bought a new duvea (spelling) which is more warmer than our old one and i thought it was down to this as i don,t feel the cold normally and thought the extra warmth might be causeing it , but perhaps its the cit ?

[heavenly]

I had some blood tests done, which all came back clear. I've got an app on my iphone that tracks my periods. I sweat all month, but only a little bit. Soon as I ovulate it gets worse and worse until about 2 days into my period when it drops back down again.
It might be worthwhile you keeping a track of when its happening so that you can tell your GP. I dunno if the pill would help, I'd go on it again but i already take too many meds! I cant be taking any more, ill start to rattle lol!

It happens every single night, no pattern I'm afraid, it just ties in with taking Cit.

[heavenly]

Hi heavenly

I,ve been reading about your cit journey , thanks for posting its been very helpfull.

I,m on day 12 ish and i don,t sweat as much as you by the sounds of it but i do sweat , more of a cold neck (wet sweat gone cold) in the night and mt t shirt slightly damp . My skin seems to feel hot also .
Nothing major but i had none of this before .

This might sound stupid ..lol... but my wife bought a new duvea (spelling) which is more warmer than our old one and i thought it was down to this as i don,t feel the cold normally and thought the extra warmth might be causeing it , but perhaps its the cit ?

You could try going back to the old duvet see what happens. I have tried everything, bedroom cold, bedroom warm, I don't wear anything in bed, but it still happens every night. It must be the Cit but I am still going to see my GP and she what she says.

[heavenly]

GP is confused I am still getting vivid dreams and sweating after being on Cit for 3 momths, she said it should have decreased by now. I am going to have a blood test, see if its anything hormonal.

[Vixxy]

Ive been on seroxat since May and its still happening. Some of us are just unlucky and get it until we come off the meds. :(

[heavenly]

Well my blood test says 'normal no action'. Haven't seen the GP yet, but that is what they read out over the phone. Seeing my GP Monday. I suppose that means its the Cit, sometimes I can cope with it, but I've just had a bad week this week, with the sweating, its brought my anxiety back a little, just gets me down a bit. I will just have to suck it up!

[Greenman50]

I,m still sweating in the night , not to bad its usually just my legs and neck and my face feels hot .

I had the strangest dream last night , basically a nightmare :)...but as soon as i woke up it was so stupid it made me laugh , its all you can do laugh !!!

I ended up on wakeing , shouting get off me you %%%% , and was kicking out my legs and woke my wife up . First weard dream i,ve had but it seemed very real . I would post about it ....but perhaps not it might not have been due to the cit , so won,t post about it , but it was so stupid as soon as i woke up i knew it was so unreal , Weird .

[heavenly]

I,m still sweating in the night , not to bad its usually just my legs and neck and my face feels hot .

I had the strangest dream last night , basically a nightmare :)...but as soon as i woke up it was so stupid it made me laugh , its all you can do laugh !!!

I ended up on wakeing , shouting get off me you %%%% , and was kicking out my legs and woke my wife up . First weard dream i,ve had but it seemed very real . I would post about it ....but perhaps not it might not have been due to the cit , so won,t post about it , but it was so stupid as soon as i woke up i knew it was so unreal , Weird .

Being on Cit does give you vivid dreams, which for me, causes the sweating. My GP said it should only last 2-4 weeks but unfortunately for me, 3 1/2 months in, I think I am stuck with it. I rarely dreamt before I was on Cit, now I dream every single night.

[Vixxy]

Mine are heavily based on my menstrual cycle. I have about a week with no sweating then its back with a vengeance! I try to get as much sleep in that period as possible lol.
Really does suck and I hate having to wake up soggy :(

[heavenly]

My Gp wants me to have another blood test, check the thyroid but if that is ok, I have to decide whether to stay on Citalopram and have a crap night's sleep every night til I come off it, or try another AD. Its just I am worried about coming off an AD and going on another one because of possible side effects. Just don't know what to do really, being drenched in sweat every night is really getting me down and bringing my anxiety back.

[Greenman50]

So Sorry its not getting any better .

:hugs:

[heavenly]

So Sorry its not getting any better .

:hugs:

Thanks Mel. :hugs: I really wish it didn't bother me, and of course, if I had to choose, I would pick having cr*p sleep, over having my depression back. But I wish I didn't have to make that sort of choice, who knows how long I will be on Cit, so it depresses me thinking that my sleep will be cr*p until then, which defeats the object of being on an AD, its supposed to help with depression. I am not sure what to do, will see what the next blood test results say first, then have a good chat when my GP gets back, think I have an appointment on 28th March.

[heavenly]

Well, I took an Olanzapine last night, which calms me down, and only woke up sweating a couple of times, instead of 4 times and did sleep til 7am which is an improvement. Bit frustrating though, that I may have to take an Olanzapine every night to help me, I had stopped taking them. So this side effect of sweating is making me take more meds, which I don't want to do. Had another blood test this morning, full blood count and to check my thyroid, just to cover all bases.