Hi. I also have palmar and plantar HH. It affects my palms the most. I have tried a few different things.
I once built my own iontophoresis machine with help from the internet (let me know if you don't know what that is). That was unsuccessful because it was time consuming, ever-so-slightly painful, and caused a distinct red ring around my wrists where my hands were submerged in the water. I have been prescribed beta blockers, which did not work for me. I have used prescription roll-on antiperspirant (Drysol), which also did not work for me. That actually dried the skin out very badly on my hands so that they peeled and cracked, yet they would still sweat! I have done a little bit of biofeedback, which is a relaxation technique. That was somewhat effective. If I was alone and had enough time, I could relax myself so that the sweating would stop, but that was not really practical enough to be helpful in so many daily situations where my sweating has been an issue. I am currently taking an anticholinergic medication (generic name is glycopyrrolate, name brand is Rubinol). This medication has been very helpful. I have to take at least 4 mg for it to work and sometimes I take up to 7 mg. It does not always completely stop the sweating. I find that if I am very anxious or nervous, I will still sweat, but soooo much less than before. So now I am working on dealing with the nerves and anxiousness. This combo of relaxing myself plus the anticholinergic has really been life changing for me.
I hope this info is helpful for you. I know how difficult this condition can be, so if you have any other concerns let me know.

Hi tleeb,
I have read about Rubinol before and asked my Dermatologist for it. She said it is not a good idea because it is not to be taken on a daily basis. It "dries out your insides."

Do you take this on a daily basis? Also who prescribed this for you? How did you find out about Rubinol?

Thanks,

Hello Ghost12345,

I sometimes take it daily. It really depends on what I am doing. For instance, this last week of school we did hands on stuff all week, so I took it every day.

I found out about the med just by searching the internet and hearing from people with HH that it worked for them. Then I discussed it with my physician (an MD at my University's health clinic). She had not heard of it, but looked into it and decided to prescribe it to me.

It is true that it does "dry you out". I do wonder about the long term effects, but have not found much info on the internet about this. I know that it is also prescribed long term for people with cerebral palsy who chronically drool and for people with stomach ulcers. For these cases, it is recommended not to exceed 8 mg/day. For me, the relief of less sweaty hands outweighs my concern, at least for now.

Thanks for the info. I'll bring it up to my md doctor. Do you feel that Rubinol makes your hands completely dry when you take it and do "hands on" stuff? What are you going to school for?

For me, it really depends on how nervous or comfortable I feel. I am working on my masters in occupational therapy. Last week we learned how to make casts and other devices for injured hands, wrists, and fingers. This required touching hands, wrists, and fingers for extended periods of time. I took 6 mg and worked with a student who I feel very comfy with and I hardly sweated at all. I have had other days when I take the same dose and still sweat- maybe due to feeling nervous or worrying people will notice. However, even when I do sweat it is MUCH less than before. Without the meds when I am nervous, my hands drip, with the meds and feeling nervous they just get clammy. Once I relax they are very dry.

Have you ever tried Xanax and Drysol together? I'm not saying take Xanax every day, but w/ the "hands-on" stuff.
I am just not familiar with the Rubinol, but I am curious now. I will ask another Dermatologist at the group practice I go to and see if she will prescribe me the Rubinol.
How much of the "drying side effect" bothers you?
Congratulations on going to school to become an Occupational Therapist! From one HH sufferer to another...I am proud of you! ;) You give me hope for me to achieve my goal of becoming a nurse. :)

Thanks for support! It took me a really long time to get my shit together and stop letting HH run my life! Everyday in OT school I realize that it is just not as huge of a deal as I have made it to be (plus the meds help!).

I have tried Xanax plus drysol as well as paxil plus drysol. They did not work for me. I become anxious due to HH, which makes HH worse. I think maybe some people have anxiety and HH, so antianxiety meds help them. This just wasn't the case for me.

The drying out I experience is rarely bothersome. My eyes get a little dry, but not so dry that I have resorted to eye drops. My mouth and throat get dry. For that I just drink a lot of water, chew gum, and/or use cough drops.

So, are you in nursing school or looking to apply?

I'm taking the prereqs classes. A long time ago, when I was 19, I was going to apply to a Nursing Program but HH hindered my plans. And back then, people or doctors were not familiar with this condition. So I was screwed back then. Now, since I've been researching for such a long time, I find different products or information that can help. This time I won't let HH ruin my plans! ;)

Good for you! I hope everything works out!

Hi there,
You don't say how old you are , but i'm going to asume you are fairly young since it sounds like you are just trying to get your foot in the water about experimenting with treatments. I also just have palmare and planter HH. I've tried botox, iontopheresis and various topical medications. The topicals didn't work at all, i found they were irritating and made my hh worse. The botox and iontopheresis worked ,but they also came with less desirable consequences. The botox made me feel tired and anxious after having the treatments, also the muscle weakness was a bit scary at first, even though it did eventually wear off (although i still think my hands are still slightly weaker because I had it done 3 times over the course of 2 years). The iontophoreses machine i tried was the idromed 5. It worked well if I used it everyday for 10-15 minutes each day, but it was also causing me carpel tunnel from having my hands in an uncomfortable position repeatedly. My hands were in so much pain that I would take hh over the pain anyday.
This really put things in perspective for me. I'm currently not doing any treatments, but just trying to live with it and accept it rather than obsess about it. Concentrating on other things that are positive in your life, it will help you see beyond your hh. If you feel otherwise healthy, why compromise your help with medication and such trying to treat hh? Whenever I'm in an HH stressful situation, I think to myself... this too shall pass and a lot of the anxiety goes away. But to continuously take medication and such to treat botox is not worth it, because you will spend a lot of time feeling shity from the side effects, even when your just sitting at home doing nothing and at that point who cares about your hh if your sitting around doing nothing.
I think we just need to accept ourselves more, it's really not our fault we sweat a lot. That's the way God made us, and we may not know the reason why, but have faith that everything will be okay in the end.