In 2004, I purchased the FDA cleared Drionic device (made by General Medical). In one 1987 study, this device was proven to reduce excessive sweating in the palms, soles and armpits. I used it almost every day for four weeks to see if it could reduce my feet sweating that had significantly worsened since my ETS surgery in 1998. The surgery did cure my excessive hand sweating. My first impression of the Drionic machine was that it is quite a crudely designed piece of equipment. It was somewhat uncomfortable to place my feet in the device and keep them there for the duration of the treatment. However, the machine is very durable, and cost less than $200 when I purchased it in 2004. It may be a good option if you cannot afford higher priced iontophoresis devices.
Drionic did not help me at all during the four weeks that I used it. After those four weeks of use, the device's at-the-time somewhat expensive proprietary batteries became dead. I converted each side of the machine to accept one regular low-cost AA rectangular battery via soldering new connections. You can see this in the below photo. For conversion to electricity, scroll down this page to get to the link to Carolyn's detailed instructions on doing so.
Unfortunately, the machine still did not prove to be effective despite the green light coming on when I used the AA batteries and turned the device on. Do note that on the forums on this site, you can find testimonials from some people who did have success after converting Drionic to accept regular store bought batteries. At this point I gave up and just wear socks when I am home unless I feel that there is no feet sweating episode about to begin. Usually I can predict to an extent the days or hours when I know the feet won't sweat. I have never figured out why there are days when the feet are completely dry and days when they are like a waterfall even during the same season.
EDIT: In May 2009, I finally got rid of my excess feet sweating using the Hidrex iontophoresis machine. This machine is far superior to Drionic (but much more expensive), and utilizes pulsed current (a type of direct current). You must try it before getting surgery. In February 2010, I also attained a successful outcome using the snazzy looking Idromed iontophoresis machine, although since then, there have been times where I have had very inconsistent results. On the home page of this site, you can see a link to a page where I am attempting to get user feedback so that we can figure out what type of water results in the highest likelihood of success with iontophoresis therapy.
Now, a funny story. I got held up at Heathrow Airport in England because the customs guy thought that the Drionic device (which I, being the genius that I am, carried in my hand luggage) was surely a bomb. He made me dismantle the whole machine from the back and three customs officers gathered around and couldn't believe that this battery operated machine was for hand or feet sweating problems. I am sure it does sound ludicrous to people who don't know about this kind of thing. I recommend not packing your Drionic or other iontophoresis for hyperhidrosis device in your carry-on luggage when traveling.
Drionic has worked for many people and it is a mistake to give up on it too fast. Some of the people for whom it works still decide to get the ETS surgery (thinking that it is a faster and permanent fix with no side effects) instead and they then often regret having it. Once Drionic starts working, maintenance treatments are usually just needed once a week, and this is probably better than killing sympathetic innervation to the whole upper body via ETS. Treatments should be performed at as high a setting as is tolerable.
The link below is to an archive of Carolyn Lamoureux's old website on geocities. It is a great place to learn how to convert Drionic to work with electricity rather than the proprietary battery. Carolyn has over the year's helped numerous people to not give up and be persistent with their Drionic treatment and experiment with different add-ons and variations. Carolyn herself had great success with Drionic and consequently decided not to get ETS surgery. Please be careful if you convert the machine to electricity, as neither myself nor Carolyn is responsible for any electrocution you could possibly get! I am presently using an iontophoresis device (Idromed) that is powered by electricity, and I have never received an electric shock for what it is worth.
Archive of Carolyn 's excellent Drionic modification website (takes time to load)
The proprietary batteries sold on Drionic.com are expensive (after including shipping) and run out very quickly. Besides converting to electricity, another option is to try and convert the machine to accept normal AA batteries that can be purchased at any store. I did this and it can be seen in one of the pictures on this page. Be sure to solder properly if you do it that way, and perhaps ask an expert about what voltage and quantity store battery combinations are the best.
People recommend all kinds of stuff when using Drionic to get better results...from adding lime juice and/or alcohol and/or salt to the water, to using hot/warm water instead of cold water, to adding Dehydral or Robinul or even tea leaves in the baths. Check out the other iontophoresis machines section of the hyperhidrosis forums on this site to read about other people's experiences with Drionic. If you try out this device, please make sure to post your results testimonial on the message boards too in order to help out others such as yourself.