People sometimes overreact when they start experiencing night sweats because they fear this symptom may be a cause of a concerning health condition.
You may be relieved to hear that if you're sweating while sleeping, you'll often find a fairly innocent explanation.
Perspiring while asleep is common, in fact it is one of the most common issues patients bring to their doctors.
In this article I will discuss two common types of medications that are known to cause night sweating.
They are antidepressants and antipyretics.
The antidepressants known to be causes of this uncomfortable side effect are all prescription medications but the antipyretics are common over-the-counter drugs that you may not suspect.
Antidepressants Antidepressants are psychiatric medications leveraged to address major mood problems and anxiety disorders like dysthymia, depression and obsessive compulsive disorder.
They are controversial both in that the different types of antidepressants face stiff competition from one another and that the research and studies supporting their use seems to shift dramatically from year to year.
The types of antidepressants most associated with sleep hyperhidrosis are serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and monoamine oxidase inhibitors.
Check with your doctor or your pharmacist to see if your antidepressant is one of these commonly prescribed drugs.
If so, that may explain your disruptive night sweats.
Antipyretics The next type of medication that may cause night sweats is even more common: Antipyretics.
You simply know them as pain relievers.
Aspirin (Bayer, Excedrin), ibuprofen (Advil) and acetaminophen (Tylenol) are all antipyretics.
All of these over-the-counter medications are fever-reducers.
Antipyretics affect your hypothalamus, which is the part of your brain that acts as a thermostat for your body.
When these medications tell your hypothalamus to lower your body temperature, it triggers several natural mechanisms that your body uses to reduce your temperature.
Among those mechanisms is perspiration.
So it isn't uncommon to experience some degree of perspiration within 30 minutes of taking an antipyretic medication, especially if you suffer from a fever.
Since antipyretics are so common and people suffering from mood disorders often perceive pain more easily, it wouldn't be surprising if you were taking both an antidepressant and a antipyretic.
In this case, it wouldn't be surprising at all if you were suffering from sweating at night.
It's important to determine if one or both of these medications may be causing your sweating and disrupting your sleep at night.
A lack of sleep can leave you more susceptible to illness, but it can also affect your mood.
Consult with your physician if you have any concerns as he or she may be able to prescribe a new medication that won't have this uncomfortable side effect.
You may be relieved to hear that if you're sweating while sleeping, you'll often find a fairly innocent explanation.
Perspiring while asleep is common, in fact it is one of the most common issues patients bring to their doctors.
In this article I will discuss two common types of medications that are known to cause night sweating.
They are antidepressants and antipyretics.
The antidepressants known to be causes of this uncomfortable side effect are all prescription medications but the antipyretics are common over-the-counter drugs that you may not suspect.
Antidepressants Antidepressants are psychiatric medications leveraged to address major mood problems and anxiety disorders like dysthymia, depression and obsessive compulsive disorder.
They are controversial both in that the different types of antidepressants face stiff competition from one another and that the research and studies supporting their use seems to shift dramatically from year to year.
The types of antidepressants most associated with sleep hyperhidrosis are serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and monoamine oxidase inhibitors.
Check with your doctor or your pharmacist to see if your antidepressant is one of these commonly prescribed drugs.
If so, that may explain your disruptive night sweats.
Antipyretics The next type of medication that may cause night sweats is even more common: Antipyretics.
You simply know them as pain relievers.
Aspirin (Bayer, Excedrin), ibuprofen (Advil) and acetaminophen (Tylenol) are all antipyretics.
All of these over-the-counter medications are fever-reducers.
Antipyretics affect your hypothalamus, which is the part of your brain that acts as a thermostat for your body.
When these medications tell your hypothalamus to lower your body temperature, it triggers several natural mechanisms that your body uses to reduce your temperature.
Among those mechanisms is perspiration.
So it isn't uncommon to experience some degree of perspiration within 30 minutes of taking an antipyretic medication, especially if you suffer from a fever.
Since antipyretics are so common and people suffering from mood disorders often perceive pain more easily, it wouldn't be surprising if you were taking both an antidepressant and a antipyretic.
In this case, it wouldn't be surprising at all if you were suffering from sweating at night.
It's important to determine if one or both of these medications may be causing your sweating and disrupting your sleep at night.
A lack of sleep can leave you more susceptible to illness, but it can also affect your mood.
Consult with your physician if you have any concerns as he or she may be able to prescribe a new medication that won't have this uncomfortable side effect.