dry mouth driving me insane.......

[Gwen]

im having awful dry mouth and its ruining my life i cant take it anymore im doing what i can like drinking plenty sucking mints,chewing gum. Has anyone had this problem and has anything helped? its been going on for months n months but now its effecting my speech and its embarrasing .HELP x

[sylviai]

I have suffered from this as well and I can understand what you are going through. I did the same keeping a glass of water on my desk in work, sucking mints etc... and was finding it difficult to talk and eat.

I told my consultant about it and she did a test for sjogren's syndrome which is something that can come with RA. Thankfully I did not have sjogren's.

The consultant recommended that I use Corsodyl mouth wash and the doctor gave me a script for synthetic saliva. Gradually my saliva came back to normal.

The saliva spray was a great help.

hope this is of some help and I hope it gets back to normal soon.

Sylvia I

[Nothing19 in reply to sylviai]

How long did it take

[Hidden]

I've got Sjogrun's Syndrome and my mouth can be like this. Artificial saliva, gum, dry mouth mouthwashes etc can all make it manageable. Your dentist can do the test if you don't have a rheumy appt anytime soon.

Cece x

[beth48]

I've had sjogrens for about 15 yrs,dry eyes,throat,mouth and nasal passages and yes it a nuisance.I lose my voice talking to people and have to carry a bottle of water with me everywhere.My dentist prescribed artificial saliva and pastilles to suck but i find the water works best for me.You may find a spray works for you so worth a try,best of luck :)))) B xx

[Hidden]

Me too, Gwen, i thought it was the pain killers but don't know - i drink copious amounts of tea, chew gum and have a corsodyl mouth wash that seems to work for about 40 minutes after taking but nothing works long term. I think i will get the spray recommended above. I didn't realise it could be part of another autoimmune condition.

[Hidden]

Hi, I too have Sjogrens.

I use Biotene mouthwash, toothpaste, and mouth gel. The gel is good at night as I don't need to drink water, so I don't keep going to the loo.

I have also tried a spray called Saliva Orthana and an aerosol called Glandosane which I prefer.

Sugar free gum is useful too.

You must see a dentist as dry mouth problems can be really bad for your teeth.

Good luck!

[Treesha]

I too have sjogrens and I alternate btween milky tea, sugarfree mints , gum, and mineral water. I also use lip balm and Biotene toothpaste before bed as it isn't as drying as normal toothpaste. Xxx

[Beth58]

Hi, I can fully sympathise with you.

I've had this problem for many years now, to the point where I couldn't answer the phone at work. My doctor became concerned when my voice became so hoarse, she thought I may have cancer of the Larynx. It turned out to be dry passages syndrome which was affecting my vocal cords.

I was advised to carry a bottle of water with me at all times and given a spray for my nose, I had to tilt my head over a sink and force water up my nasal passages and out my mouth.. Yuck, that was very difficult to do and felt awful.

I'm now addicted to chewing gum (something I've never done in the past) and now using using sprays for my mouth and nasal passages, drops for my eyes. I've also become hooked on ice cream and keep a large stock of lollies and ice-cream sandwiches in the freezer. This doesn't solve the problem but it sure does help.

Hope you find something which helps you.

Beth x

[Hidden in reply to Beth58]

I liked your response about the ice cream and the lollies. I have sjorgens and during a flare up I struggle eating anything so limit myself to soups and shakes, the ice-cream will help to keep my calorie intake up when I need it. I've never been a lover of ice-cream but I guess I have an excuse now ha ha x

[kathgallagher]

I have this problem in fact sometimes my mouth is so dry the inside of my lips split. I have been tested for sjoerens which was negative but might see if I can get tested again. I have a spray which helps and you can get it in lemon or peppermint

[Gwen]

thank ueveryone for getting back to me..im seeing my gp soonandhope to be going for my first rituximab infusion aswel.my diet is bad ive always been able to eat what i want which is a huge amount of choccy sweets fizzy drinks and the rest im trying to sort it out but its habit!!

[Hidden in reply to Gwen]

Hi Gwen,

My diet was the same, I found cutting out the chocolate (or a least limiting it) can help, it doesn't seem to dry my mouth as much particularly if I've been eating it the night before. Fizzy drinks should also be taken through a straw, but again I've cut those right down...must admit I haven't missed it. Good Luck x

[Nothing19]

Same. And my throat constantly hurts Bc it’s so dry. Food gets stuck to my teeth and everything. My saliva isn’t the same🤦🏾‍♂️