Dry Mouth

[Court]

I was diagnosed with Parkinsons about 8 years ago. I have recently started having a dry mouth resulting from a lack of saliva. This has caused me to have a very sore tongue, amongst other things. As this is a recent problem, I wonder if it is due to an addition to my medication. I have been prescribed an artificial saliva which does help for a short time. I have a number of problems beside Parkinsons so take additional meds, but if it is one of my meds, I have not been able to track the culprit down so far.

[Beckey]

That's me all over! My dentist told me to keep lozenges or hard candies at hand, that sucking on those gets the saliva going. I must say it helps a lot.

Sometimes when I wake up in the morning it feels like my mouth is stuck to itself!

Thyroid is definitely one of the culprits but I think some others contribute as well.

[cabbagecottage]

my husband had that problem for a long time when he was first diagnosed . it did seem to be worse after talking sinemet and amitriptyline ,

unfortunately he is the opposite now . drooling constantly . they do say to chew gum . Anything worth trying I think . What suite one might not suit another

[joyceann]

Have you had any blood work done to check your calcium level? Please ask your physician to order this test! It is rarely done and a high level of calcium can definitely cause dry mouth and lead to even more complications

[JohnPepper]

Hi Court. Pd can cause both dry mouth and more often, too much saliva. I have heard of medications causing the dry mouth but not the excess saliva.

I have personally suffered form both conditions. I have found that when I am stressed, which appears to be quite often these days, my mouth becomes so dry I find it difficult to speak. Mine has not been caused by medication as I no longer take any Pd medication. The only medication I take is for high blood pressure.

I hope this helps you.

John

[muragod]

I too feel the problem of Dry mouth after starting CMOT inhibitor ENTACOM with sinemet. Is it true for any one else also. Dry mouth is contradiction mentioned in drug leaflet.

[Fox321]

chew gum

[Mollyjane11]

Biotene toothpaste and mouth spray are good. Good luck.

[12stargate in reply to Mollyjane11]

I use all of the biotene products. I like all of them, and the biotene gel works the best.

[christyd65]

I definitely have dry mouth to the point that my mouth hurts and sometimes have trouble speaking after starting Ropinerole. As the dose gets higher the dry mouth gets worse. Never had this I before PD diagnosis or the meds so pretty sure meds are the culprit

[cas1975]

I have this too, from medications. It is sucha terrible feeling!! The best product that I have found is OraCoat XyliMelts disks. They stick to your gums and slowly release...... 'something' that works. At night I put one on top right and one on bottom left and it really helps the night time thing!! In between using these, i suck on ACT dry mouth losenges, lifesaver mints, etc, etc.

[justaninconvenience]

biotene rinse before bed*

[judam9]

hi , i've had a dry mouth for some years. to the point that if it goes to far, that i can not speak. which can be very embarrassing. so i live with my sour hard candies or lemon drops. preferably sour lemon drops. i guess it is from a medication, but if i breathe through my nose and not my mouth, the problem seems to go away.

[honeycombe3]

Hi Sue,

I have had terrible problems with oral hygiene over the 11 yrs since dx. Dry mouth is one of the more recent issues & my dentist says it is definitely related to mouth breathing at night BUT she can't seem to come up with any practical help. The drugs cocktail has eroded my enamel so that frequent brushing, even with a babysoft brush takes more away. I have the top front teeth reconstructed using crowns & bridges at considerable NHS expense & now they are going as well. If I chew too much sugar-free gum I get bloated & have diarrhoea. I have a dry palate & from choice I would eat & drink tart, usually acid, fruit & drinks. More erosion. If I try sweeter replacements I pile on weight & again these rot the teeth. I wouldn't dare fall asleep with anything loose in my mouth in case I choked but I like the sound of something anchored to the gums.

With all the resources being thrown at PD recently it shouldn't be too difficult to find some options for relief....should it?

[Court in reply to honeycombe3]

I also am having trouble with my teeth. The Dentist says that the lack of saliva is causing my enamel to erode. I have tried many different supposed solutions including a spray of manufactured saliva. All to no avail I also suffer with a very sore tongue which I think is caused by my dry mouth. Sometimes my mouth is so dry that I find it difficult to talk.. What can Parkinson throw at us next, I wonder?

[margie]

Many of us have this condition. have had dry mouth for many years.I have my lost all of my lower teeth in one day. Cause unknown. Had teeth cleaned and the very next morning I could wiggle all of my bottom teeth like a child loosing their first tooth. Tried to save them, by adding crushed bone, gums etc. It worked for a few months but then it happened again (dry mouth). I had implants put in. I have had several surgeries placing cadaver bone, and gums (taking the roof of my mouth and placing it where my gums fell over night. I have tried biotene everything, gum. sucking on hard candy and etc. I guess it will continue .I have had my calcium and everything checked. Gums are healthy one day, and fall generally during the night. The dental specialists say the only thing they could think of is dry mouth causing this.

It is what it is. I am alive and doing better than most, so I can't complain.

What doesn't work for me may work for you. I won't give up. Good luck.

[rhyspeace12]

I sleep with a sugar free cough drop in my mouth at night and it works well. I have never choked on it and have done this for years.

[Joanne_Joyce]

This is a real problem for me and I've tried everything. I mentioned in an earlier post that I get some relief from chewing olives and keeping the pulp in my mouth as long as possible. I'm on Myrapex and Stalevo. I tried going off the Myrapex thinking that was the cause but it didn't help and made my symptoms work. So I know it is the Stalevo.

[Court in reply to Joanne_Joyce]

Thanks for your reply. Now this is a surprise. I have taken Stalevo for quite some time and never had side effects, as far as I know. I also take various other meds, for various other conditions, some of which have recently been added. I will now look closely at Stalevo. I hate this lack of saliva/ It is affecting my teeth. I have an extremely sore tongue and mouth ulcers. I am interested in knowing whether anyone else has a dry mouth which they attribute to Stalevo. Thanks.

[judam9]

hi , well i am on carb-levo-dopa. and have had a dry mouth for years, if i keep my mouth shut, it doesn't seem to be much of a problem. but speaking and breathing with my mouth open, not only does my mouth get dry aut my throat also, and then i can hardly talk. so i do have a bag of lemon drops on me at all times. sour ones, not to sweet. and just let them melt in my mouth. but change sides so that one side doesn't get sore. or the skin starts to peel off inside my mouth. i used to keep one in my mouth all night , but then i didn't get to keep it moving and was a little concerned about getting it stuck in my throat. so i quit the all night one. i just make an effort to keep my mouth shut. and it works for me. good luck.