Are We All Sweating on Antidepressants?

This summer, I expected to spend my time lounging at the beach, enjoying rooftop parties, and taking long walks in nature. But just a month into the season, the only thing I'm doing a lot of is sweating. According to TikTok, my antidepressant is to blame: creators have been speaking up for weeks about their sweaty summer on selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), validating and normalizing others who find themselves suddenly overwhelmingly hot.

"Being mentally ill for the summer is not for the weak. I'm legitimately in hell, dying. How are you people on SSRI's not passing out or keeping cold?" one TikTok user said in a June post. The post has over 90,000 likes and 3,000 comments, including "My underwear gets drenched from how much I sweat" and "On Zoloft, the night sweats are the worst thing to ever happen to me."

Another post on the app from the same month with the headline, "pov: it's 95°F out, and you're on lexapro" featured the caption, "I take 3 showers a day in the summer." Comments under the post were similarly detailing the same hot experience, from "Yes dude, I feel like I'm boiling inside," to "The overheating is literally insane !!!"

To be honest, I've never felt more validated. In 2023, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported an estimated 11.4 percent of people over the age of 18 in the U.S. took some form of antidepressants. But what's the science behind all of the sweating? According to psychiatrists, just because you're hot and taking SSRI's doesn't mean the antidepressants are to blame: heat intolerance isn't a direct side effect of taking SSRIs. But a certain hormone may be at fault. Here's what the experts had to say.

Experts Featured in This Article Agnes K. Simone, DO, is a California-based psychiatrist, the founder of Olea Women's Health, a boutique women's health practice, and the founder of Psych Practice Co., a consulting company for psychiatrists. Brook Choulet, is an Arizona-based psychiatrist who specializes in sports psychiatry and the founder of Choulet Performance Psychiatry. Can Antidepressants Make You Sweat More?

I've been taking the SSRI Zoloft since 2023. When initially asked what the biggest side effect of the medication was, my answer used to be, "You stay alive." In the early stages of taking the antidepressant, I was just thankful the medication made me feel like myself again, effectively treating my depression. But this summer, I'm experiencing intense sweating and feeling way hotter than usual.

"[SSRI's] can interfere with your hypothalamic thermoregulation (the body's thermostat). But it's not typical to have significant heat intolerance with SSRI's," says Brook Choulet, MD, a psychiatrist specializing in sports.

While antidepressants may not directly cause heat intolerance, they can increase serotonin in the body — and serotonin can affect the body's ability to regulate temperature, says Agnes K. Simone, DO, is a California-based psychiatrist, the founder of Olea Women's Health. "Theoretically, if you're increasing serotonin with the SSRIs, that's going to affect the ability to regulate internal temperature. People can end up feeling hotter than average, which can lead to sweating."

This heat sensitivity or intolerance can cause excessive sweating, dizziness, and fatigue. To add another layer, heat intolerance often occurs in temperatures others may find normal. "My patients experience this: the increased sweating, especially night sweats, and, overall, feeling more hot," says Dr. Simone.

How to Deal with Sweating on SSRIs

From my daily scrolls on TikTok, I've picked up many tips on dealing with heat intolerance, from eating electrolyte ice pops to cool yourself down in a pinch to using anti-friction body powder to reduce sweating through your clothes. If you're looking to develop your own SSRI summer routine, TikTok user alliyahpau made a post in June showcasing the products she relies on, including carrying a mini fan with a cooling plate and a neck fan.

My personal recommendations for curbing summer sweating on SSRIs:

Change your bedsheets twice a week.Only drink ice-cold water.Keep paper towels in your bag to pat your forehead for random internal heatwaves. If you can, keep the air conditioner on high for a little longer.Use dry shampoo on your roots before stepping outside.Setting your makeup with a matte fixing spray to soak up the excess sweat.

On the expert side, these psychiatrists have a few recommendations too when it comes to surviving an SSRI summer:

Limit your time outside on hot days and avoid being in direct sunlight for extended periods.Stay properly hydrated. The daily recommendation is still six to eight glasses a day (or 64 ounces).Consult your psychiatrist if the heat sensitivity worsens. There could be another medical issue at hand.

"Depending on the severity or how intolerable the sweating is, I will lower the dose of the medication or switch to a different SSRI/antidepressant. If they're really bothered by it, we should do something about it," Dr. Simone says.

With any changes you may experience while taking SSRIs, you should always let a doctor know to explore all the possible causes. If you're experiencing an increased intolerance to heat specifically, Dr. Choulet recommends examining your thyroid. "Look for a medical cause of why you feel hot. Maybe get your thyroid checked, as thyroid issues can impact core temperature," she says.

48890247 Ayana Herndon is a New York City-based freelance writer and graduate of the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. She has a passion for amplifying voices of color through her writing, which spans fashion, beauty, and lifestyle. Her work has appeared in PS and Women's Wear Daily.