Question: I am 65 yr old female with advanced COPD stage 3-4 smoker for almost 50yrs. Ten years ago l had my left lung removed due to cancer. I have had chronic pain syndrome since the surgery. I am on a low dose of hydromorphone 9mg day and 6mg at night. For several months I have been suffering from sweats upper body head,neck, chest,arms,back several times day and night now they have become more frequent like every few hours to even hourly and I have chronic fatigue, weakness and my anxiety has been very bad. I am on Lipitor 20 mg Coversyl 4mg, eltroxin.1mg & 1 aspirin daily along with i hailers Bero&Anoro,ventral in and Azithromiacin to control lung infection. I have oxygen available be try not to use it as I may become dependant on it but perhaps getting a stationary machine would give me some more oxygen in my blood. The frequencies of the sweats are at the point I cannot go out as getting ready exhausts me! I am also on Effexor but have been on anti depressant or anxiety for stress and anxiety I am not new to these med as my life used to be extremely stress filled. Can you think of any reason for the increased frequently of my sweats which sometimes are accompanied by heart pain and pain in my back behind my heart that but I usually attribute that to the chronic pain syndrome?

Do you feel I may need more Eltroxin although I am on .1mg. When I initally had the surgery I was on a phenomenal amount of painkillers like high does of morphine, fentanal you name it the Pain Clinic had me almost comatose. -With the help of my pharmacist I reduced my meds over 85%. and have done nothing but reduce. The hydromophone I am on now is long acting as I used to go into withdrawl so reduce the amount of hydromorphone but just a small fraction of what I was on. I rarely take the breakthrough 2mg I have available! I made an error in my inital letter to you 4 weeks I reduced the dosages of hydromorphone to 6mg day and 3mg at nite. Now I am also aware that I have disuse muscle atrophy due to years of being in bed for long periods which started to pass for a few years but the past two years I am back in the inactive stage again and trying to use a walking machine gradually to try and improve. But i do not have the stamina with the COPD advancing. Should I go on the oxygen at night,try and further reduce the hydromorphone but do not know how small hydromorphone goes. The EKG I know but is the 2D echo what is that for?? What did you mean by drug induced hyperthyroid? Thank you Dr. Solanki

Dr. Solanski
As a psychiatrist rather than a GP do you feel that much of this excessive sweating is due more so to an anxiety disorder?