Sweating More on Antidepressants?What Studies Show
Odor & SweatArticleHeavy sweating is a common side effect of antidepressants. A review of 76 trials with 28,544 people found most SSRIs and SNRIs roughly tripled the risk compared with placebo, while bupropion, fluvoxamine and vortioxetine showed no clear increase. The sweating often hits the face, scalp and neck in bursts and can last as long as the medicine does. Here is what helps and what to ask.
In this article
If you started an antidepressant and now sweat through your shirt in a warm room, or wake up damp, the medicine may be part of it. Researchers have measured how common this is and what helps.
How common it is
A review pooled 76 placebo-controlled trials with 28,544 adults taking newer antidepressants for depression, anxiety or OCD.1
| Medicine type | Risk of excessive sweating, versus placebo |
|---|---|
| SSRIs | About 2.9 times1 |
| SNRIs | About 3.2 times1 |
| Bupropion, fluvoxamine, vortioxetine | No clear increase1 |
Within SSRIs and SNRIs, a higher dose wasn’t clearly linked to more sweating.1 A smaller clinical study estimated that 5% to 14% of people on antidepressants have excessive sweating.2
What it’s like
In 23 people with moderate or worse antidepressant-related sweating:2
- It showed up most on the face (95%), scalp (62%), chest (57%) and neck (48%).2
- It usually came in bursts.2
- It tended to last, for a median of more than 5 years in this group.2
What helps
A review of reported cases suggests a step-by-step approach, tailored to the person:3
- Lowering the dose, or a supervised trial off the medicine.
- Switching to a different antidepressant, if that doesn’t work or isn’t appropriate.
- Adding a medicine to control sweating, if it persists.3
In a small, uncontrolled trial, 22 of 23 people improved on a medicine called terazosin over 6 weeks.2 The most common side effects were dizziness or lightheadedness and dry mouth.2 Without a placebo group, it’s encouraging but not proof.
Because the review found bupropion, fluvoxamine and vortioxetine didn’t clearly raise sweating, a switch may be one option to discuss.1
For day-to-day comfort in the meantime, see should you put antiperspirant on at night? and face and scalp sweating treatments.
Try: “Since starting this antidepressant I sweat heavily on my face and neck, even at rest. The medicine is helping my mood. What are my options for the sweating without losing that?”
Arms Up covers this in Chapter 3, “Can They Smell Me?,” in a section called “The Red-Flag List,” which says new sweating after a new medicine is a reason to talk to the prescriber, without stopping the medicine first. Its Fresh Log has a column for food, alcohol and medicine, so you can show when the sweating started. See the book.
This article is for general educational purposes only and is not medical advice. It isn't a substitute for diagnosis or treatment from a qualified healthcare professional who knows your health history. Don't stop or change an antidepressant without talking to your prescriber. Get urgent help for heavy sweating with fever, agitation, confusion, muscle twitching or a racing heart, especially after a dose change or a new medicine, or for chest pain. Girl Playbook does not endorse any specific product, test, or provider.
Girl Playbook sells this book. It provides education and worksheets, not individualized medical care.
Sources
The research behind this article, in the order it’s cited. How we source our articles.
- Depression and Anxiety journal (abstract via PubMed), 2017Meta-analysis: Risk of hyperhidrosis with second-generation antidepressants (opens in a new tab)abcdef
- Annals of Clinical Psychiatry (abstract via PubMed), 2013Antidepressant-induced excessive sweating: clinical features and treatment with terazosin (opens in a new tab)abcdefg
- Annals of Pharmacotherapy (abstract via PubMed), 2005Antidepressant-induced sweating (opens in a new tab)ab
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