Although flushing, sudden sweats and perceptions of changes in body temperature or temperature regulation can be caused by the action of CRPS itself, there are many other things that can cause symptoms like that. Virtually all of the drugs commonly used to treat the various symptoms of CRPS also cause hot flushes and sweating. Weight loss associated with stress or drug related nausea will tend to cause a person to feel cold much of the time. Not eating regularly can make some people feel cold and then they flush and sweat as soon as their body starts to process food.

All of the varieties of anti-depressants - tricyclic, SSRI, SNRI etc commonly cause sudden flushing episodes and excessive sweating. All opioids have this as a very common side effect, methadone is thought to be particularly bad for this.

Women with CRPS also need to bear in mind that hormonal changes associated with the various stages of menopause can cause body temperature regulation problems and exactly the same flushing/sweating issues. Even the hormonal changes associated with a normal menstrual cycle can cause core body temperature elevation along with sweating and flushing, especially at night, at various points of the cycle. I only mention all this because like all of the other changes people notice with a complex condition like CRPS, its just as likely that they are being caused by something other than CRPS.

I only make these points because its always so important not to just assume that every symptom or change is caused by CRPS. Personally, I think its usually safer to start from a position of assuming that anything new or different is not caused by CRPS so that you can be properly objective in assessing what is most likely to be causing any new problem. It may be that there are effective treatment options for some of these unpleasant symptoms when they aren't being caused by CRPS. By just assuming they are all CRPS related, it would be very easy to completely miss out on important testing and/or an effective treatment for the real cause of problems.

I know I have a habit of thinking CRPS right away but I do take the time to check other possibilities first. What I like to do is write down what may be the cause of a problem and I put CRPS on the bottom. Then I work through each possibility until I have found the most likely cause.

In this instance I had help working through my list with my sister (a RN), my cousin (a PA) and my other sister (pharmacist). We spent a good amount of time going through each possible cause eliminating as we went. Once we reached CRPS I decided to post here and ask for input.

I know when I was first diagnosed I wanted to blame every little thing on CRPS, but after awhile I realized I was only making myself crazy. So I started asking others for help, which is not an easy thing for me to do. Now I know to take a step back, think rationally and ask others for help. Since I started doing this my anxiety level has gone down. It's kind of funny that my anxiety was not caused by CRPS but from worrying about CRPS.

Thank you for your suggestions and advice it is always welcome I am sure not just for me but for many others.

I can see that you have a good system in place for trying to objectively assess any new symptoms or changes in your health. You are absolutely right that my comments are generally aimed at anyone who may find them useful or who may not realise that there are so many possible causes of general symptoms like flushing or feeling hot/cold.

You are spot on in your comments about your own experience of anxiety - medically CRPS doesn't cause anxiety but of course it is possible for someone diagnosed with CRPS to then suffer from anxiety because they are worrying so much about the CRPS diagnosis. Separating out each condition, disease, symptom or problem makes it much easier to objectively assess what is going on and to identify the most likely cause of each.

Perspective and the bigger picture is so important, isn't it? So often in life you can see people jump to 'worst case scenario' conclusions but from the outside its so clear that they have ignored all of the screamingly obvious and infinitely more likely reasons for their symptoms or problems! Then, if other people just agree with them, it perpetuates the error and gives reinforcement to their incorrect conclusion. After that, if anyone (including a doctor) tries to challenge the now entrenched incorrect views it so often results in mega-defensiveness and refusal to accept an alternative view (however correct the alternative is!!). Always challenging or re-assessing your own logic and regularly stepping back to look at the bigger picture is so important.

I am really lucky to have such great support but sometimes it helps to be reminded to slow down, step away and take a deep breath. I am a list maker because for me it is the best way to organize my thoughts and look at it from a different perspective.

Your comment about the "worst case scenario" makes me think of when you forget to call you mom and she thinks you are dead in a ditch somewhere.