One of my sister's symptons is that she drools quite a bit. The speech therapist tells her this is because she forgets to swallow. I would

[robertaquiett]

like to hear about others experiences with this sympton and if you know of medicine that could help cut down on the drooling. This is hard on her, especially when she is out in public. She gets embarrassed. Thank you

[peterjones]

hi robertaquiette i dont really know the answer to your question but you could try dark grape juice or papaya enymes from a health store the grape juice you can get from woolies or coles food store this might dry the mucas or spittle up i have psp and i take dark grape juice or it might gather it all;together it has been ok for me but will not gaurantee that\ it will work for your sister but its worth a try and would only cost you a couple of dollars it will not hurt her good luck mate peter jones queensland australia

[robertaquiett in reply to peterjones]

Thank you for the suggestion. I think she would like to try the dark grape juice beore she tries medicine.

[peterjones in reply to robertaquiett]

robertaquiett peter jones here just wondered if you had tried the papaya enymes or the dark grape juice for your sister i was just curious to see how you got on

anyway good luck with it peterjones Queensland Australia

[robertaquiett in reply to peterjones]

Hi Peter, no, she hasn't tried it yet. She wants to try the dark grape juice first. Can you buy that in a grocery store or do I need to go to a health food store?

[teena2]

Hi

I was told that the drooling was part of the symptoms of PSP. I think the GP might have some suggestions on what might help. Chris had to take Amitriptyline at night for other symptoms but one of it's many side effects was to cause a dry mouth thus preventing the drooling. Having said that it is not a very nice drug to have to take. I feel sure there are other drugs which will help.although I can't name any for you other than the one I have mentioned.

Good luck with this. Perhaps if you get a result you could post it on the forum and let us all know? Teena2

[robertaquiett in reply to teena2]

I'll do that. I asked her to talk to her doctor about medicine to help with the drooling but she forgot to do that. Because there are so many things to ask I think I'll make a list to take for the next doctor vist.

[hazelb]

Hi...yes drooling is a part of PSP as swallowing gets more difficult. Frank used to forget to swallow & I used to have to remind him regularly. His S.A.L.T said it was a build up of saliva & first tried Hyocine patches but these can have side effects. We then tried Pineapple juice & dark grape juice which worked for quite a while. As his PSP progressed though, Frank found it a bigger problem. The movement disorders nurse suggested trying Atropine Sulphate eye drops under the tongue. This may sound strange but one of the side effects of these as eye drops is that it dries up the mouth !!! I used to put a small drop under Frank's tongue after meals 3 times a day then give him a drink of water. This did the trick. Hope this info helps.

Take care & keep smiling. Love Hazel B xx

[robertaquiett in reply to hazelb]

Thank you hazelb! I will tell my sister about the Sulphate eye drops and see if she wants to try that.

[mummybear]

Hi Roberta, My Hubby used to drool on his left side, then it just stopped, now it is beginning to return, but his speech therapist first said it was due to muscle weakness on that side of the face caused by the psp. All to do with what is being effected in the brain and it can just come and go. The grape juice will thin secretions but i don't know if it will help as we use it to stop hubby from choking on thick secretions. you may just have to carry a lot of tissues when your sister go's out. good luck

[robertaquiett]

Thank you mummybear. It really helps to have people to talk to and to hear how you handle each situation.

[denmob]

My husband suffered from lengthy coughing fits at night alongside "gargling"in his sleep. During the day he began to start drooling. A speech therapist recommended Hyoscine patches 1mg. These are placed behind the ear and are the size of a 5pence piece. Since using them all the above symptoms have stopped. You can get them in varying strengths. My husband is on a low dosage. They are hidden behind the ear so unobtrusive and in place for 72hrs so don't need daily changing. You get them on prescription . I hope this is helpful.

[robertaquiett in reply to denmob]

I wanted to let all of you know that the Hyoscine patches have helped my sister. She started usin them about 2 weeks ago and there has been a big improveent. I was with her last night and there wasn't any drooling. Thank all of you for your suggestions. It is so great to have people to talk to and share experienes with.

Roberta

[SuzieQ]

Hi.

Atropine drops have been successful for my husband, though one of the side effects has been constipation! However, I have increased his Movicol and this seems to have done the trick. I would definitely have a word with the doctor about the drops but if your doctor is not familiar with using them for drying excess saliva, you may have to stand your ground and explain that it has been tried and tested by others with the drooling problem. Hope you get something sorted quickly as I know it can be very troublesome. Good luck.

Take care................SuzieQ x

[robertaquiett in reply to SuzieQ]

Thank you SusieQ! I'm going to print your answer an tell my siser about the drops.

She won't be crazy about the chance of constipation but she might be willing to try it.

[BraddyJ]

Mum used to take Kwells, the travel sickness tablets, which helped. Think a District Nurse suggested it, and the GP looked it up. One a day made her too drowsy, but a half was just right...............unless it came out of her mouth when she drooled :-). She tried hyacine patches too - but experienced hallucinations, which really frightened her.

[kpsmail]

I am 72 and Ihave PSP + diapetis ,the doctor says i cannot take grapes I HAVE DROOLING

[peterjones in reply to kpsmail]

hi kpsmail is that because of the diabetes there would be sugar in the grape juice of course which would be no good for you im sorry about your drooling perhaps someone that has written in will have the answer for you i hope so mate good luck to you i to have psp peter jones queensland australia

[dllera]

Hi Roberta - Drooling is common in PSP - your sister does not forget to swallow - -that's riduclous - -the speech therapist has not done their homework on PSP - -sorry -vented there for a moment - -now how to help - -papaya enzymes are very helpful but if your sister has a hard time swallowing they may make her coke (the chewable enzymes are a little chalky) so you may want to look for papaya juice, papaya & pinnapple blend, or just pinnaple juice -these juices help dry up secretions. There are some medications that can help -but as you know -there is no free lunch with PSP - -we used scopolamine patches - help with drooling but causes dry mouth - we used dry mouth gel, sprays and swabbed with water frequently. They can also make you loopy/drowsy so you'll have to weigh the pros and cons. Many people have also used atropine drops. They didn't work for us but they have worked for others -if the side effects are miminal -you may want to try that first.

Also - print this out and bring it to the therapist - -have them read Stage 3

pspinformation.com/disease/...

Good luck!

Danielle

[Stubby]

Hi, my husband has psp and he used to have to clear his throat a lot, the speech therapist said it was because ha was forgetting to swallow so she gave him a little badge to ware that bleeped every Minute to remind him to do a big swallow, it was only the size of a big button so was not too conspicuous on clothing and you could turn it off if not needed, it did the trick because he does not need it any more so has given it back for someone else to use. We live in Anglesey North Wales and would love to hear from anyone else in this area. Stubby