Has she tried Secret Clinical Strength? When I went through Menopause, my hot flashes were so frequent that nothing else worked.

Good luck to her.

well, I truly think it has discolored my arm pits, but Mitchum for men roll on works really well. They also make stick on pads for your shirts. not sure that they will work if you are not wearing a jacket though.

Here's a site with a variety of solutions for protecting clothing from perspiration.

And you can buy prescription antiperspirant.

Here is a link that might be useful: Underarm pad options.

I've prescribed aluminum chloride such as Drysol for patients with similar complaints. She could check with her doctor or NP

I've read about people successfully using Botox for this. Again, check with primary care docs or dermatologist.

DH gave my son a script for a deodorant - it did the trick. I think it's like the one Kellienoelle mentioned.

I had problems with sweat when I was younger and always used disposable underarm shields along with antiperspirant.
Personally, I don't feel comfortable using anything stronger than otc antiperspirant, although everyone's threshold is different.
I tried using the deodorant crystal but it didn't work for me. Now, nearing fifty, I sweat much less ( outside of hot yard work kind of thing) than I did in my twenties and thirties and need much less antiperspirant.

Tips for controlling excess sweat from the July/August issue of Fitness magazine:
*Upgrade to a clinical strength antiperspirant
*Apply it before bed so there is more time for it to be absorbed, it won't get washed off when you shower in the a.m.
*If prone to sweating on your chest or back, apply a sensitive skin version of antiperspirant to those areas
*Talk to a dermatologist about prescription antiperspirant or Botox
*placing a cold water bottle or gel pack on pulse points can help reduce your overall temperature

Unfortunately, I inherited this problem from my dad. I used to use Mitchum, but it didn't do as well. Now I use Secret Clinical Strength the waterproof one and it works really well for me. I live in TX so very hot. I also only buy clothes that are washable or those that say dry clean only of washable materials and run those in the handwash cycle of my machine.

edit: I should say works really well as in I'm no longer wet unless I'm exercising.

This post was edited by lyfia on Mon, Sep 9, 13 at 10:28

Hyperhidrosis is the medical term I believe and it is something that a dermatologist or a doctor can really help with. Besides Botox (FDA approved for excessive sweating), some electrical and laser therapies may also help. Most people also have issues with sweaty palms. A friend who suffered from this was greatly helped with a prescription strength anti-perspirant with 15% or so aluminum chloride which she applied at night.

Both of my teenage sons have had this problem. One discovered, finally, after several years, that it was from an ADD medication he was on. The doctor switched it, and he has been much better. So if she is on any sort of medications, check the side effects.

My other DS is not on medications and tried everything -- the prescription antiperspirant not only didn't work well for him, but it caused irritation that never got better and created a bit of havoc because he has a hyperpigmentation problem so he ended up with huge dark marks under his arms. They did go away eventually. Then he tried botox (approved by our insurance, administered by a dermatologist). I think it's 20-25 shots under each arm? Not too pleasant. And it worked for maybe 4 months (they estimated 6 months) and he doesn't want to go through it again. So now he just wears white shirts almost exclusively because the stains show less on white fabric. He also likes sweater weather! Such a bummer but I am hoping he outgrows it -- he is still a teenager and going through hormonal upheavals!

I had a pretty good sweating problem in high school too, but outgrew it, fortunately. I also became a big fan of the White Shirt.

There are several different brands of "clinical strength" deoderants now in drugstores -- maybe one of them would work?

My son has the same problem and uses the one that Kellienoelle suggested - Drysol. He initially used it everyday at night as suggested but now uses it maybe once every couple of weeks and uses a regular antiperspirant (not a deodorant) every day. It isn't a prescription. He has noticed a huge difference.

I had the same problem and when I was working I had to wear nice clothes and suits. I was always afraid to take off my jackets because of what might be lurking there. Interestingly, I eventually grew out of the problem in about my mid-30's.

golddust and lyfia I bought her the Secret Clinical Strength Waterproof and it seems to be working.

Thanks to all who posted I'll keep this for reference just in case!

Speaking of sweating, have any of you noticed as you hit middle age/approaching menopause that you started to sweat more? Not talking hot flashes, just sweating?

I'm 45 and have not yet hit perimenopause, but about a year ago, I noticed that my underarms perspire wayyyyy more than ever. I never used to have noticeable sweat - even when I exercised, I never really got wet. A little damp, but not noticeably wet. Never had pit stains. Now, my underarms get very very wet when I'm out on a warm day (not hot even), especially if my shirt fabric is close to my underarms. IOW, if the shirt has loose sleeves, it's not as bad. And when I exercise, now I very easily drip sweat.

is this my body getting prepared for the onset of menopause? Yuck!

Fourkids, it could be. I NEVER had a sweating problem before menopause. Then, wow. I constantly had ice water in my hand. If my house temp hits 75, I'm done with housework because of profuse sweating. I freeze everyone out of my house these days but that is what it takes for me to function. They can put on sweaters, I can't run around naked.

I'm glad our recommendations are working. I buy Secret Clinical Strength from Costco in packages of three.

Golddust, the funny thing is that I'm not hot, I just sweat! I hate using A/C but it's a necessary thing here in the summer, but I keep the house warm when no one else is home. I can't stand being cold. It could be 75/80 degrees and low humidity, I don't feel hot at all, but my underarms will start perspiring. I can only imagine how bad it will be once I actually do hit menopause and am having hot flashes! I've actually had to be more conscious of the shirts I've started buying and making sure the armpits are not too fitted, which isn't very easy sometimes depending on styles.

Fourkids, it could be. I NEVER had a sweating problem before menopause. Then, wow. I constantly had ice water in my hand. If my house temp hits 75, I'm done with housework because of profuse sweating. I freeze everyone out of my house these days but that is what it takes for me to function. They can put on sweaters, I can't run around naked.

I'm glad our recommendations are working. I buy Secret Clinical Strength from Costco in packages of three.