Dry Mouth

[Court]

I know that I have asked this question before, and also that other people have also asked it, but J was hoping that someone has found a way of coping with this. My mouth is always dry and nothing I do seems to help. I realise that this is a side effect of at least one of my meds. but surely there must be a way of coping with this. If anyone has found a way to cope with this problem. I would be grateful for your input. Thanks

[Hikoi]

What have you tried so far court?

[Court in reply to Hikoi]

I have tried chewing gum : seemed to make It worse. Sucking ice cubes., Sucking sugar free sweets. cucumber, pastilles prescribed by GP. Sure there are more, but these are the most recent. Nothing seems to help. Recently I have developed

a sore mouth and tongue

[Hikoi in reply to Court]

Court dry mouth is so unpleasant. Sounds like it is getting worse if it is sore too. Lots of good suggestions here. I went to a dry mouth clinic at my hospital, dont know if they have such things in your area. They gave me a dry mouth gel to use which helped a bit. I see it is mentioned as also a symptom of levadopa wearing off for some people!

I have noticed some brands of Indian tea make my mouth feel worse too. Herb teas are good.

[Hidden]

Dry mouth is easy to ignore but one outcome of dry mouth is that your teeth start to breakdown and are vulnerable to infection at the roots and you get gum decease.

Every time you are in the washroom specially at night, rinse your mouth well with Listerine Total Care mouthwash. Sorry, I know of no substitute. Then rinse with a small amount of "dry mouth" mouthwash any will do. ( luckily I happen to be in there 3 or 4 times every night anyway) Pay particular attention to your dental health, cleanings , inspections , etc.

The words you do not need to hear are root canal, Crown, complete loss of teeth, your insurance does not cover and infection spreading to other parts like sinus, and bad bad breath. (The bacteria that you are fighting is very tough and also lives productively in your bowel). It's the little things that get you when they become suddenly big deals, expensive and threatening and they can be avoided. Keep it under control and you keep that beautiful smile, well ok you don't smile but you know what I mean. GOOD LUCK

[Court in reply to Hidden]

Last time I went to the Dentist He told me that a dry mouth can cause the problems you mention and gave me special toothpaste to try and tackle the problem. This does not appear to be helping. Thanks for your comments.

[Hidden in reply to Court]

Every bit helps, nothing does it on it's own. I carry a small plastic bottle of that mouthwash. Your friends will appreciate it if you do also if this goes out of control. Do you feel old yet. I do. This decease has no dignity. don't forget to smile

[LauraL]

My experience with dry mouth is a result of occasional bouts of excess saliva. My doctor prescribed Atropine Sulfate Opthamalic Solution which tastes horrible but dries to the point of making it difficult to eat until it begins wearing off. Another problem I am having now is tooth decay that the dentist thinks is a result of dry mouth.

I still prefer dry instead of drooling like a baby cutting teeth.

[snorre]

This works for me (in norwegian)

easyair.no/

If the problem is that you are sleeping with the mouth open because there is to mutch restriction for the air through the nose , then this gadget migth help.

I have used it for many year no and i am total dependent on it.

It take some times to get used to it and find out the best position and how deep in the nose you put it , but when you get the hold of it it will be your best frend , hehe

I put it all way into the nose and i use some papers between the the fingers and the nose to get some friction when putting it on place.

In the start , the first weeks it dosent seems to work , but what happens when you stop using it is that you wake up mutch more with dry mouth (terrible)

It therfore also makes your sleep mutch better.

A few more tips to sleep better.

-Stay up at midnigth

-Dont drink anything after nine aclock in the evening

-Sleep naken (in this way it is easy to change sleepingpossition doe to low friction between the skin and bed,Belive it or not its mutch warmer also . It is the first minute that almost kill you , hehe

-sleep on side and cross your arms over your chest with pressure.

-If you use NEOPRO tear it off before sleeping (dramatic effect for some peaple) This is for some people the differense of heaven and hell.

Good luck

[12stargate in reply to snorre]

Hei Snorre!!

I too am Norwegian, but have lived in the US for many, many years!!

That is an interesting contraption to open up the airways in the nose

I use products from Biotene. For dry mouth they have gum, toothpaste, mouth wash and mouth gel.

Works great for me.

Eva

[DianeJ]

I can certainly identify with your problem. The dentist says the decay under my crowns is caused by dry mouth at night. I have recently started using Xylimelts made by Oracoat. These adhere to your tooth or gum and dissolve overnight to keep your mouth lubricated. It has worked for me. They are expensive but worth it. Also Listerine Total Care (purple) used before bedtime. Do not eat or drink after use. The dentist prescribed Colgate PreviDent 500 tooth paste. This contains extra fluoride to strengthen teeth. The Oracoat company is out of Bellevue, Washington. Web site is oracoat.com. There is also a gel available from Biotene to apply to your gums. I have not used this. I hope this is helpful and hope we can save our teeth.

[jillannf6]

I DRINK LOTS OF WATER - ALWAYS HAFE AND THA TSEEMS TO HELP - STILL TEND OT CHOKE THO WHEN I HAVE A COUGH LIEK NOW ON NOTHING AT ALL EXCEPT FOR SOME SALIVA

LOL `JILL

[rustjudge]

I have found Biotene toothpaste and mouthwash helpful as well as a "paste" called M-1. Not curative by any means but helpful.

[FifteenyearsPD in reply to rustjudge]

me too try biotin tooth paste and gum

[serg]

Good advice from all of you, thanks

[Ace1]

I use Biotene, works well.

[teeceek]

Dry mouth is a constant problem for me also. I completely relate. Besides what others have suggested, I found using some Biotene products help at times. I love the Biotene spray and I mainly use it when traveling or am out and about for a while. It gives me temporary relief but at least it is relief. There is also gum, mouthwash, and toothpaste. I haven't tried all of them yet. I also suck on little bits of sugarless gum called Dentine Ice, which is quite refreshing. I drink so much water during the day I could float to bed. Dry mouth is uncomfortable and inconvenient, especially when I am talking a lot; I constantly have to have something to drink in order to continue talking. Let me know if you find anything else that helps. Good luck! Thanks!

[judam9]

hi, i too have a very dry mouth and throat. to the point where , when it gets, bad enough, that i can't even speak. i think that it might be caused by taking a pill called prozac. and it's awful. i keep lemon drops in a pack on my belt . i and when i feel my throat getting dry, i pop a lemon drop, and just let it dissolve in my mouth. which helps tremendously. usually the more sour the better, and that's my story.

i do go thru a lot of lemon drops.

[12stargate]

I use products from Biotene, and they really help.

Biotene have gum, mouth rinse, mouth gel and they all help a lot.

Blessings to you for a comfortable mouth!

It is important.

[Court in reply to 12stargate]

Thank you to everyone who replied to my question about Dry Mouth, A lot of you recommended Biotene and I intend to give this a try. I will let you know how I get on.

[Rejuvem]

Lots of Water and Potassium Iodate Supplements (50mg).

[vsm0001]

There is a product named 'Ice Chips' that you can get in many different flavors. Made by dentist. It is helpful if you are somewhere and you can't brush your teeth after eating. Also helpful for dry mouth.

[Polyanna007]

Polyanna007

Biotine Spray has not eleminated

My recurring dry mouth but STOPS

It immediately when used and

Spray seems easiest and most

Pleasant to use and carry.

Good luck.

Polyanna007

[pingopenguin]

parkinsons.org.uk/sites/def...

Hi Court,

This is a link to a fact sheet. On page 8 you will find Information on Dry Mouth.

There are forms of artificial Saliva that doctors can prescribe.

Sip water through-out the day to stop dehydration.

Hope you get some Info.

[judam9]

i have been using sour lemon drops. for years. it can kill your taste buds, and cause some drooling, but it's worth the trade if it stops the dry mouth, having a bad taste in your mouth. and when dryness hits your throat, not even being able to talk. i can live with the lemon drops. and the more sour the betterr.

[Court]

Thank you to everyone who replied to my question. I have read all the replies and intend to speak to my GP about using a mouth spray. I also liked the idea of the lemon drops. Thanks again.

[Laus4785]

Hi Court, I would be really interested to see if anyone has any strategies for this too - my mum suffers from dry mouth terribly! They say eatting chewing gum can help, but mum doesn't find it helps very much.

Have you had any luck with finding anything that helps this?

[chirodoc]

Xylimelts is at your drug store. I tried it and was pleased with the help it provided. It is a Xylitol sugar tablet that you place along your cheek and teeth and it slowly dissolves overnight. Once the tablet is seated it adhears to the position you place it in.

[Court]

I recently posted about my dry mouth and got a lot of replies and suggestions on what to do. I have a chest infection at the moment and told my GP about my dry mouth. She has given me a mouth spray called Glandosane, which is a synthetic saliva. At last something that works. I am still thirsty but not the raging thirst I was experiencing. I don't know what is causing my thirst, but I was finding it difficult to cope. I hope this will help others.

[Joanne_Joyce]

I can certainly relate to everyone who has the same problem. I have tried virtually everything mentioned and I use xylimelts and chew gum and suck hard candy etc. But they don't solve the problem - they just give temporary relief. I've discovered something else that gives me relief and that is green olives. I don't know if it is brine or the olives themselves but sucking on them makes my mouth feel better and also as long as I can hold the pulp against be back of my mouth I have relief. It is temporary, of course, and I could go through a jar of olives in one day if I didn't control myself.

I wonder if the drug manufacturers couldn't take this side effect into account and do something to help us. I think anything with Levedopa in it causes dry mouth.